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GENOA   THE    SUPERB 


Were  a  star  quenched  on  high, 

For  ages  would  its  light, 

Still  travelling  downward  from  the  sky, 

Shine  on  our  mortal  sight. 

So  when  a  great  man  dies 

For  years  beyond  our  ken, 

The  light  he  leaves  behind  him  lies 

Upon  the  paths  of  men. 

Longfellow. 


Panorama  of  the  Port  of  Genoa. 


GENOA 

C^e  Superb 

THE     CITY     OF     COLUMBUS 


BY 


VIRGINIA  W.   JOHNSON 

AUTHOR    OF    ''THE    LILY    OF   THE    ARNO,"    "A    ROYAL    PHYSICIAN," 
"THE    HOUSE    OF   THE   MUSICIAN,"    ETC. 


Illustrate*) 


BOSTON 
ESTES    AND    LAURIAT 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1892, 
By  Estes  and  Lauriat. 


All  rights  reserved. 


JHnibersitj)  ^ivess: 
John  Wilson  and  Son,  Cambridge,  U.S.A. 


TO 

Cfje  Ciuen  of  tfje  JHcottcrranean, 

THE    FAIR    CITY   UNMARRED   BY    CENTURIES,   THESE    PAGES 

ARE    INSCRIBED    IN    MEMORY   OF    THE 

GREATEST   OF    HER    SONS. 


Genoa,  1892. 


PUBLISHERS'    NOTE. 


The  publishers  are  indebted  to  Messrs.  Alinari  &  Co., 
of  Florence,  for  the  right  to  reproduce  from  their  photo- 
graphs some  of  the  scenes  herein  depicted. 


INTRODUCTION. 


IT  is  not  vouchsafed  to  every  wayfarer  to  launch  forth 
boldly  on  the  Mediterranean  Sea  in  quest  of  remote 
lands  of  the  Orient.  Some  there  are,  indeed,  who  hug  the 
shore  timidly  in  preference,  after  the  manner  of  the  earliest 
navigators  of  these  limpid,  blue  waters.  If  any  of  the 
latter  class  are  contented  to  furl  sail  with  the  approach  of 
night,  and  the  danger  of  being  misled  by  clouds  and  dark- 
ness, and  drop  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Genoa,  he  will  find 
himself  in  one  of  the  richest  centres  the  world  has  to  offer 
even  to  his  most  casual  inspection. 

A  labyrinth  of  endless  dreams  may  diverge  from  the 
marble  pedestal  of  the  Columbus  monument,  and  the 
stranger  may  explore  the  past  as  a  child  rambles  amidst 
the  heirlooms,  the  chests,  or  the  rusty  armor  of  a  manorial 
mansion  ;  but  in  the  commonwealth  which  was  the  birth- 
place of  the  discoverer  of  the  New  World,  the  visions  of 
slumber  are  the  crystallization  of  the  years ;  the  coffers  full 
of  treasures  are  stately  palaces  of  wrought  marbles,  and 
the  limp  armor  once  equipped  vigorous  warriors  for  the 
Crusades. 

To  append  a  catalogue  of  works  consulted  in  writing 
this  volume  would  be  to  revert  to  a  custom  more  in 
favor  in  the  last  century  than  in  our  own.  A  few  of  the 
books   read    in    connection    with    the    study   have    been  : 


vi  INTRODUCTION. 

"  Annali  della  Repubblica,"  by  Giustiniani ;  "La  Storia 
dell'  Antica  Liguria  e  de'  Genova,"  by  Girolamo  Serra ; 
"  Nuova  Istoria  della  Repubblica,"  by  Canale  ;  "  Genovesi, 
Veneziane,  e  Pisani,  Storia  delle  loro  navigazione,"  by 
Fanueci ;  some  extracts  from  "  Caffaro's  Chronicles ; " 
"  Ranke's  Popes  ; "  "  Histoire  de  Genes,"  by  Vincens  ;  Gib- 
bon's "  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire  ; "  Sismondi's 
"  Histoire  des  Republiques  Italiennes  "  and  "  La  Litte*ra- 
ture  du  Midi  de  FEurope ; "  Villani's  "  Firenze,"  and 
Montalembert's  "  Les  Moines  de  l'Occident." 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

INTRODUCTION v 

CHAPTER 

I.     A  Bird  from  oyer  the  Seas 1 

II.     A  Genoese  Balcony 21 

LIT.    The  Echo  of  a  Great  Bell 30 

IV.     In  a  Deserted  Sanctuary 39 

V.     An  Old  AVatch-Tower 64 

VI.     On  Board  the  Yacht  Reverie 80 

VII.     A  Mediterranean  Sea-Shell 104 

THE   ROOT. 

VIII.     The  Bronze  Tablet 109 

IX.     A  Tiger  Lily 122 

X.     An  Idyl 141 

XI.     -'What's  in  a  Name?" 147 

XII.     A  Church  Lamp 153 

THE    STEM. 

XIII.  A  Fruit  from  the  Colonies 166 

The  Arab  in  the  Gate 169 

An  Heirloom 173 

A  Branch  of  Coral 178 

Concerning  Fish 181 

XIV.  The  Royal  Asphodel 185 

XV.     A  Carrier  Pigeon •     .     .     .  192 

XVI.     The  Venetian  Prisoner 199 

XVII.     The  First  Doge 206 


Vlll 


CONTENTS. 


THE   FLOWER. 

OHAPTEB  TAGE 

XYIIl.     Daughters  of  Genoa 212 

XIX.    Saint  George 220 

XX.     An  Aiu-castle 230 

XXI.     A  Pinch  of  Salt 233 

XXII.    Grandfather's  Waistcoat _'lo 

XXIII.  The  Death  Ship 243 

THE   FRUIT. 

XXIV.  A  Beacon  Light 247 

XXV.  In  a  Picture  Gallery 270 

XXVI.    The  Note  of  a  Violin 281 

XXVII.    The  Launching  of  the  Boat 287 

INDEX 289 


LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Page 
Panorama  of  the  Port  of  Genoa Frontispiece 

Temple  of  Diana  and  Chinese  Bridge,  Villa  Pallavicini      .  7 

The  Columbus  Monument       29 

Equestrian     Statue     of     Victor     Emmanuel     II.,     Piazza 

Corvetto 36 

Porta  Pila 52 

Piazza      Acquaverde,      Railway      Station      and      Columbus 

Monument 67 

Gardens  of  Pallavicini 82 

View  of  the  Water  Front,  Genoa 104 

Panorama  of  Genoa  from  the  Castello 123 

Courtyard  of  the  Palazzo  Municipale 125 

Ducal  Palace,  Piazza  Nuova 129 

Old  Door  of  the  Doria  Palace .  142 

Detail  of  the  Portico  of  San  Lorenzo 155 

Cathedral  of  San  Lorenzo 165 

Interior  of  the  Church  of  the  Annunziata 178 

Interior  of  the  Church  of  S.  Ambrogio 191 

Doria  Palace 207 

Panorama  of  the  Campo  Santo  (Cemetery  of  Staglieno)  .     .  238 

The  Great  Lighthouse 255 

Courtyard  of  the  Palace  of  the   University 270 


GENOA    THE    SUPERB 

THE  CITY   OF  COLUMBUS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

A    BIRD    FROM    OVER   THE   SEAS. 

GENOA  rises  from  the  brink  of  harbor  crowded  with 
shipping,  the  mole,  and  the  lighthouse,  to  the  crest 
of  the  encircling  hills  blooming  with  gardens  and  vineyards. 
The  matchless  beauty  of  the  city  as  Queen  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean is  never  more  apparent  than  on  a  morning  of  the 
month  of  May,  when  the  sun  is  just  visible  above  the  higher 
range  of  mountains.  Then  the  town  still  slumbers  below 
in  the  drowsy  shadow  of  night, —  flights  of  steps,  narrow  by- 
ways, and  the  massive  arch  of  some  church  portal  engulfed 
in  darkness,  while  the  sea  extends  to  the  horizon,  gray, 
opaque,  immobile,  like  a  vast  sheet  of  silver  meeting  a  sky 
veiled  in  chill  mists  ;  yet  the  advent  of  the  great  Day-God 
already  quickens  the  sensibilities  of  all  things,  the  gushing 
melody  from  the  throat  of  a  passing  bird  greets  the  first 
rays  trembling  in  the  eastern  sky.  A  fitful  tumult  of  bells 
echoes  from  church  towers ;  hints  of  marble  columns,  faint, 
pearly  reflections  suggestive  of  lofty  palaces  rather  than 
defined  outlines,  become  visible  out  of  the  confused  mass 
of  roofs  and  walls ;  and  the  sea  warms  to  light  and  life 
with  a  delicate  surface  sheen,  like  the  colouring  of  a  flower, 
the  bloom  of  a  fruit,  the  polished  recess  of  a  shell.     The 

1 


2  GENOA   THE   SUPERB. 

miracle  of  the  recurring  sunrise  is  here  repeated  on  the 
crags,  kneeling  "  like  hooded  friars  "  to  meet  the  benedic- 
tion of  the  light  and  the  summer  sea,  holding  the  fair  city 
in  their  united  embrace.  The  grandeur  of  the  violet-hued 
dawn  stealing  over  the  austere  solitudes  of  Alpine  peaks 
and  glaciers  is  softened,  modified  to  richer  tones  of  color- 
ing on  the  Apennines  enclosing  Genoa  landward. 

One  half  anticipates  that  the  tinkling  melody  of  convent 
bells  ringing  the  Angelus  in  every  hamlet  of  the  adjacent 
slopes  will  be  rivalled  by  some  subtle  fragrance  of  sacrifice 
to  the  day  and  the  springtime,  rising  from  the  Pagan  altars 
of  temples,  wreathed  with  roses  and  smoking  incense-cups, 
hidden  in  the  myrtle  thickets  and  orange  groves  of  shore 
and  height.  Genoa  is  now  devoutly  Christian,  having  early 
embraced  the  faith  of  monk  and  Pope ;  but  she  once  be- 
longed to  heathen  Rome,  and  made  oblations  to  the  Gods. 

Bountiful  Nature  rejoices,  for — 

"  '  T  is  always  morning  somewhere,  and  above 
The  awakening  continents,  from  shore  to  shore, 
Somewhere  the  birds  are  singing  evermore." 

The  suburb  of  Pegli  extends  to  the  right  of  Genoa,  and 
in  the  midst  of  the  hotels  of  this  cosmopolitan  resort  is  an 
ancient  villa.  The  mansion  is  built  on  a  gentle  elevation 
above  the  highway,  and  is  square  in  form,  like  the  majority 
of  Italian  country -residences,  with  an  ornamented  parapet, 
while  the  walls  are  painted  a  warm,  yellowish-red  hue. 
Frescoes  representing  the  busts  of  certain  classical  poets, 
framed  in  alcoves,  are  still  discernible  between  the  case- 
ments, although  faded  by  the  rains  of  many  years.  Time 
and  the  vicissitudes  of  fortune  have  shorn  the  villa  of  ad- 
jacent property,  if  it  ever  boasted  of  vineyard  and  olives. 
A  rusty,  iron  gate  opens  on  the  white,  dusty  road,  sur- 
mounted by  a  crown  and  scutcheon,  and  having  formidable 
spikes  in  the  pattern  of  a  double  wheel  of  the  Inquisition. 


A.  BIRD   FROM  OVER   THE   SEAS.  3 

A  dilapidated  and  miniature  mediaeval  tower  flanks  the 
entrance,  serving  as  porter's  lodge  for  the  custodian  and 
guardian  of  the  premises,  Lorenzo,  who  dwells  here  in  con- 
tentment, with  his  cheerful  family,  beneath  a  leaking  roof 
which  resembles  a  candle-snuffer.  A  path,  paved  with 
red  brick  tiles,  with  high  walls  on  either  side,  leads  from 
the  rusty  gate  to  the  stately  portal,  still  studded  with  nails, 
as  if  to  resist  a  siege,  and  protected  by  an  arch  supported 
on  columns  of  gray  marble,  forming  a  balcony  above.  The 
wide  terrace  of  the  house  commands  a  view  of  Genoa,  the 
sea,  and  the  amphitheatre  of  hills.  Nearer  at  hand  it  over- 
looks the  famous  Pallavicini  gardens,  duly  visited  by  every 
conscientious  traveller  from  other  lands. 

The  waves  lapse  softly  on  the  shore  in  sparkling  ripples, 
and  a  lateen  sail,  brownish-red  in  hue,  flits  past.  A  vessel 
is  being  built  in  a  ship-yard  of  the  shore,  with  hull  and 
ribs  already  defined  against  the  blue  water  and  sky.  A 
little  Russian  boy,  with  floating  curls  of  flaxen  hair,  and 
curiously  veiled  gray  eyes,  launches  on  the  strand  a  toy 
craft,  fully  rigged  for  any  weather  with  brave  array  of  white 
canvas. 

Farther  along  the  beach  the  fishermen  draw  in  their 
nets  harvest  of  the  calm  night,  brought  near  land  by 
boats.  The  fishermen  are  ancient  folk,  tall,  bent  old  men, 
bronzed  and  wrinkled,  defying  rheumatism  with  bare  feet 
and  knees  immersed  in  the  waves  as  long  as  tottering  limbs 
will  bear  them,  while  their  wives  and  daughters  wait  to 
receive  a  portion  of  the  fish  to  vend  about  the  town  in 
baskets  poised  on  their  heads,  or  carried  between  two  girls. 
A  group  of  idlers  watch  the  slow  labor  of  drawing  the 
nets,  each  toiler  having  a  strip  of  canvas  carried  over  one 
shoulder,  belt-wise,  to  which  a  cord  and  hook  are  attached, 
thus  enabling  him  to  pull  on  the  central  line  in  unison  with 
his  comrades.  The  hazard  of  fortune  in  drawing  the  net 
on  the  Genoese  shore  is  full  of  excitement,  hope,  and  spec- 


4  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

ulative  curiosity.  The  most  ancient  mariner  of  the  line  to 
the  right,  old  Giacomo,  takes  a  pessimistic  view  of  the  luck 
of  this  May  morning,  and  begins  to  grumble  in  his  white 
beard, — 

"  The  other  net  holds  more  fish  than  ours !    You  will 


see 


? » 


His  old  wife  Marietta,  with  her  kindly,  furrowed  face 
framed  in  the  cotton  handkerchief  which  invariably  covers 
the  head  of  the  women  of  this  portion  of  the  Mediterranean 
coast  at  all  seasons  of  year,  even  to  the  child  of  tender 
years,  however  slight  the  raiment  of  the  rest  of  the  body, 
makes  cheerful  response :  "  Eh !  We  must  take  what 
God  sends  us." 

Then  the  old  wife  gazes  out  at  the  sparkling  waves. 
In  the  expression  of  patience  and  resignation  discernible 
on  the  rugged  lineaments  of  her  brown  features,  one 
realizes  that  she  belongs  to  the  sisterhood  of  fisher-folk  of 
all  lands.  The  sea  supports,  and  has  robbed  her,  like  many 
another  of  the  coasts  of  Norway,  Scotland,  and  the  Ameri- 
can continent.  In  moments  of  confidence  she  speaks  of 
the  two  fine  sons  taken  from  her,  one  wrecked  in  a  temp- 
est off  Corsica,  and  the  other  put  ashore  on  the  African 
strand  to  die  of  fever  in  the  white  hospital  among  the  palm- 
trees  on  the  margin  of  desert,  leaving  the  old  couple  to 
struggle  alone  to  the  bitter  end. 

She  is  a  picturesque  figure,  the  old  Marietta.  Her  short 
gown  is  green  and  brown  in  tint,  her  jacket  a  grass-green, 
and  her  apron  still  another  shade  of  olive, — the  whole  cos- 
tume faded  and  blended  by  the  spray  of  salt  water.  Did 
she  select  her  raiment  with  an  eye  to  resembling  an 
animated  bundle  of  half  dried  sea-weeds  ?  Is  it  not  far 
more  probable  that  the  practical  aim  of  driving  a  shrewd 
bargain  with  some  vendor  of  the  quays  and  thoroughfares 
of  Genoa  dictated  her  choice  ? 

A  seafaring  man  of   well-to-do  aspect,  with  keen  eyes, 


A    BIRD   FROM   OVER   THE   SEAS.  5 

and  gold  rings  in  his  ears,  watches  the  morning  laborers 
with  lively  interest. 

"  Now  which  net  would  the  signorino  like  to  have  fetch  the 
most  iish?"  he  demands,  with  a  chuckle,  of  the  little  Russian. 

The  signorino,  with  princely  blood  in  his  veins,  pauses  in 
launching  the  toy  boat,  stares  at  his  good-humored  inter- 
locutor a  trifle  haughtily,  ponders  on  the  matter  with 
childish  gravity  for  a  moment,  and  replies  diplomatically  : 
"  I  wish  both  nets  may  be  very  full  of  iish.  So  many  ! " 
and  he  extends  his  arms  with  a  vague  gesture  of  amplitude, 
before  dancing  back  to  his  own  toy  craft. 

The  retired  mariner  chuckles  again,  and  proceeds  to  bet 
on  the  chances  of  the  net  to  the  right  bearing  a  heavier 
freight  than  that  to  the  left,  with  a  group  of  young  fisher- 
men, wearing  their  red  caps  and  sashes  jauntily.  Such  is 
his  morning  diversion  in  port. 

Beyond  extend  the  adjacent  towns  along  the  curves  of 
shore,  lofty,  weather-stained  houses  huddled  together  in- 
land, and  connected  with  the  highway  by  means  of  a  stone, 
arched  bridge,  or  bordering  the  shingle,  with  a  spacious 
parish  church  of  stately  proportions  in  the  midst  of  crumb- 
ling, blackened  walls,  flights  of  steps,  and  steaming  fac- 
tories. All  day  the  women  wash  their  many-hued  household 
garments  in  the  channels  of  the  streams  flowing  down 
from  the  hills  to  the  sea,  and  dwindled  to  shallow  pools 
with  the  advance  of  the  spring.  Each  local  market-place 
is  full  of  southern  warmth  of  life  and  color,  in  the  early 
hours  of  morning.  The  girls  gather  around  the  public 
fountains  to  fill  their  copper  vessels,  chatting  in  the  patois 
of  the  district ;  the  stalls  of  fruit  and  vegetables  are  scenes 
of  animated  barter.  Rosy  onions,  scarlet  tomatoes,  great 
golden  pumpkins  in  their  season,  destined  to  make  the 
soup  of  all  Liguria,  with  the  addition  of  a  little  olive  oil, 
and  chestnut  cakes  as  big  as  cart  wheels,  for  the  delectation 
of  youth,  invite  purchasers. 


6  GENUA  THE  SUPERB. 

The  railway  is  visible,  —  a  glistening,  black  line  coiled 
around  the  ledges,  like  the  folds  of  a  snake,  with  the  trains 
coming  and  going,  in  those  swift  transitions  which  resemble 
suspended  vitality,  from  the  humid  darkness  of  tunnels  to 
dazzling  light  once  more,  with  Limpid  waves  bathing  prom- 
ontories of  tawny  rocks,  dismantled  towers,  hamlets,  gar- 
dens, and  ancient  convents  rising  on  the  hills  above, 
surrounded  by  fig  and   olive  trees. 

The  terrace  of  the  old  villa  boasts  a  few  oranges,  starred 
with  richly  fragrant  blossoms  here  and  there,  and  an 
occasional  tiny,  golden  ball  of  fruit.  An  arbor  occupies  an 
angle  of  the  boundary  wall,  shielded  by  vines  from  sun 
and  wind,  yet  affording  glimpses  of  all  surrounding  objects. 
Here  the  loiterer  who  writes  these  pages  may  linger, 
charmed  by  the  beauty  of  Nature,  and  meditating  on  the 
rich  page  of  history  afforded  by  the  past  and  present  of  the 
city  of  Genoa  yonder.  On  the  fresh  May  morning  one 
may  — 

"  Sit  in  revery  and  watch 
The  changing  color  of  the  waves  that  break 
Upon  the  idle  seashore  of  the  mind." 

In  the  hollows  of  the  slopes  inland,  where  the  delicate 
blue  shadows  of  dawn  linger,  violets,  hyacinths,  gladiolas, 
and  the  red  orchis  bloom,  —  perpetual  summer  smiling  be- 
neath the  shelter  of  the  barrier  of  Maritime  Alps  which 
excludes,  in  good  measure,  the  winter  of  northern  Europe. 

Beyond  the  parapet  of  villa  wall  extends  the  realm  of 
enchantment  of  the  Pallavicini  gardens.  The  eye  follows 
dreamily  the  labyrinth  of  paths  and  avenues  wending  amidst 
shrubbery  and  masses  of  foliage  of  every  variety  of  form 
and  tint,  sunshine  flickering  on  the  waxen  leaves  of  Ja- 
ponica  plants,  interlacing  branches  making  a  soft  twilight 
gloom  of  verdure,  yet  affording  fine  views  of  the  city  and 
harbor,  and  solitary  palms  rising  toward   the    sky  as    if 


Temple  of  Diana  and  Chinese  Bridge,  Villa  Pallavicini. 


A  BIRD  FROM  OVER  THE  SEAS.  7 

pencilled  in  outline  on  the  pure  blue  of  the  heavens.  A 
Genoese  garden  !  Does  the  earth  afford  a  more  favorable 
spot  for  the  cultivation  of  rare  blooms  than  these  retreats 
of  the  nobles  of  the  city  ?  The  gaze  strays  languidly  to 
the  marble  statues  of  nymphs,  fauns,  and  Pysche  gleaming 
in  the  pervading  green  of  thickets,  arches,  belvideres,  the 
tiny  gilded  bridges,  a  Chinese  pagoda,  with  garlands  of 
Hower-like  bells  vibrating  in  the  lightest  breeze,  a  Turkish 
kiosk  surmounted  by  a  golden  dome,  a  rustic  hut,  an 
obelisk,  and  a  Grecian  temple  built  in  the  middle  of  a 
miniature  lake,  guarded  by  Tritons  holding  conch  shells. 
Here  lilies  cluster  in  crystal  pools,  and  fern  fronds  sway 
about  the  dark  entrance  of  grottos,  where  water  drips  from 
stalactites  with  a  musical  splash ;  there  a  sumptuous  pavil- 
ion invites  to  repose,  the  light  glowing  in  rich  tints  through 
a  casement  of  painted  glass  on  frescoed  dome  and  mosaic 
pavement,  with  volumes  of  Tasso  and  Petrarch  temptingly 
at  hand  in  the  library  of  an  alcove. 

A  chair  suspended,  pendulum  wise,  in  a  golden  hoop  be- 
tween the  bridges  of  the  lake,  invites  the  uninitiated  to 
swing-,  when  he  becomes  veiled  in  spray,  liquid  threads 
spouting  forth  from  water-pipes  concealed  beneath  gravel 
paths  behind  clumps  of  plants,  and  wept  from  the  hoop  rim 
in  a  cross-fire  of  jets,  thus  recalling  the  somewhat  coarse 
jests  of  the  Middle  Ages  practised  at  the  Castle  of  Hesdin 
by  the  Duke  of  Burgundy. 

Who  does  not  wish  to  journey  to  the  Mediterranean  shore, 
even  as  good  Hans  Andersen  longed  for  the  warm  coun- 
tries ?  At  a  first  glance  the  brilliant  tones  of  coloring  in- 
spire the  doubt  of  artificiality.  Where  have  you  before 
seen  these  villas  embowered  in  myrtle,  lemon,  and  orange 
trees,  these  terraces  with  marble  steps  adorned  with  urns 
and  statues,  these  blue  waves  studded  with  lateen  sails  ? 
The  Shakspearian  scenery  of  the  stage  reproduces  the  en- 
virons of  Genoa.     Desdemona  might  traverse  yonder  path, 


8  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

attired  in  yellow  brocade  with  strings  of  pearls  on  her  neck, 
or  Juliet,  in  pale  blue  satin,  linger  on  that  balcony,  or  the 
opera  hero,  in  velvet  doublet,  warble  melodious  farewell  as 
he  descends  the  marble  steps  to  embark  on  one  of  the  boats 
of  Pegli. 

The  Pallavicini  gardens  would  afford  a  fitting  spot  for 
the  enactment  of  one  of  those  quaintly  symbolical  Masks 
of  the  Elizabethan  era,  the  dialogues  of  Fletcher  and  V>rn 
Jonson,  Milton's  "  Comus,"  or  Spenser's  "Faerie  Queene." 

It  is  the  month  of  May,  and  little  maidens  are  visible, 
attired  in  snowy  robes  and  veils,  prepared  lor  their  first 
communion  in  their  respective  parish  churches.  May  brides 
are  abroad  in  the  Jura,  Lorraine,  and  Bresse,  singing  their 
songs  and  collecting  alms  to  buy  tapers  for  the  Virgin 
Mary.  Genoa,  always  devout  in  religious  observance,  pays 
homage  to  the  month  of  the  Madonna.  Thought  lapses  so 
readily  beyond  the  boundary  of  Christianity  that  the  mar- 
ble Flora,  goddess  of  the  gardens  and  the  springtime,  on 
the  bank  of  the  artificial  lakelet  of  the  Pallavicini  Villa,  is 
a  still  more  radiant  and  tangible  presiding  presence.  Flora 
is  the  winged  shape  wafted  over  southern  seas, — 

"  Whose  mantle,  every  shade  of  glancing  green 
Flies  back  in  fragrant  breezes  to  display 
A  tunic  white  as  May !  " 

Primavera  reigns  amidst  the  wealth  of  flowers  in  the  gar- 
dens of  Genoa,  the  fair-armed  nymph  who  rifles  the  pale 
violets  of  their  sweetness  and  the  poppies  of  their  color,  to 
lavish  on  her  votaries. 

A  tortoise  sidles  across  the  terrace,  advances  an  inquir- 
ing head  and  wrinkled  neck  from  the  margin  of  protecting 
shell,  and  snaps  off  a  tiny  daisy,  which  he  devours  with  the 
relish  of  a  fresh  spring  salad.  Life  at  the  old  villa  would 
be  incomplete  without  the  tortoise  and  his  wife.  They  are 
supposed  to  cat  slugs,  and  other  insects.     The  couple,  both 


A  BIRD  FROM  OVER  THE   SEAS.  9 

of  advanced  age,  vanish  to  hibernate  snugly  underground 
during  the  winter  months,  and  reappear,  in  response  to  a 
tap  of  Flora's  wand,  to  nibble  the  flowers  and  tender  leaves 
of  the  parterres.  Deep  knowledge  of  the  world  is  discerni- 
ble in  the  eye  of  the  father  tortoise,  as  well  as  sagacity 
in  the  remarkable  celerity  with  which  he  scrambles  out  of 
harm's  way  on  all  occasions,  and  repels  intrusive  curiosity 
on  his  habitation. 

Several  swallows  dart  around  the  angle  of  the  house, 
wings  and  forked  tail  sharply  defined  in  flight.  The 
swallow  is  not  only  the  harbinger  of  Spring,  but  the 
emblem  adopted  by  invalids  and  pleasure-seekers  on 
the  Riviera,  alike  intent  on  basking  in  winter  sunshine. 
The  fleet  little  messenger  is  stamped  on  letter  paper,  in- 
laid in  the  olive-wood  trinkets  of  the  region,  and  em- 
broidered on  table  covers  and  cushions.  And  the  human 
swallow  ?  The  plain  lady  sketching  on  the  shore  may 
be  a  crown  princess ;  the  old  gentleman  with  a  velvet  cap 
on  his  thin  white  locks,  and  an  abstracted  smile,  one  of  the 
world's  savants;  and  the  quiet  person  pacing  before  the 
Hotel  de  la  Mediterranee  an  American  capitalist  holding 
the  destiny  of  many  in  his  grasp. 

The  old  villa  has  been  tenanted  by  swallows  of  all 
nationalities  for  generations.  What  a  varied  page  of  per- 
sonal history  the  different  apartments  might  reveal  in 
every  phase  of  human  joy  and  sorrow !  The  father  tor- 
toise sidles  across  the  path,  intent  on  his  own  affairs,  and 
the  birds,  arrived  from  Africa,  circle  overhead  while  the 
stranger  colony  ebbs  with  the  summer  heat,  and  flows  back 
with  the  cold  season. 

The  young  count  dwells  chiefly  among  his  birds  in  the 
lofty  and  faded  chambers  opening  on  the  terrace,  while  his 
father,  a  tall,  thin  man  of  sorrowful  mien,  and  with  the 
aquiline  features  often  seen  on  medallions  of  the  Middle 
Ages,  watches  him  from  the  shadow.     Their  history  is  a 


10  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

sad  one.  The  proud  and  indulgent  parent  took  his  only- 
child  with  him  in  the  autumn  villeggiatura  to  shoot  hare 
and  birds  on  the  Lucca  hills,  and  discharged  his  fowling- 
piece  at  the  lad  hidden  in  the  bushes,  by  a  nearly  fatal 
mistake  thus  maiming  him  for  life.  A  son  of  Genoa,  whose 
race  has  been  closely  allied  with  the  city  in  glory  or  dis- 
grace for  centuries,  the  youth,  cut  off  in  his  prime,  moves 
about  in  a  wheeled  chair.  The  spirit  of  a  modern  Colum- 
bus burns  in  his  breast.  Fain  would  he  become  a  traveller 
and  explorer  of  renown  in  his  day,  hunting  in  the  Soudan 
and  Abyssinia,  treading  the  inland  ice  of  Greenland,  cross- 
ing the  South  American  Pampas,  and  cruising  about  the 
islands  of  the  Malay  Archipelago.  Fain  would  he  gather 
the  willow,  Salix  arctica,  of  Spitsbergen,  or  the  cabbage, 
Pringlea  autiscorbutiea,  of  the  Kerguelen  Islands  —  those 
typical  plants  of  two  hemispheres  —  in  their  native  soil. 
His  juvenile  imagination  is  ardent,  and  full  of  poetic  im- 
agery ;  his  brain  teems  with  schemes.  He  will  become 
an  ornithologist.  Already  he  is  writing  a  volume  on  this 
favorite  branch  of  study.  The  birds  fly  to  him,  since  he 
may  not  journey  to  visit  them  in  their  native  haunts.  He 
is  never  weary  of  watching  the  alert  movements  and  ob- 
serving the  traits  of  individual  character  of  the  feathered 
subjects  of  his  kingdom,  dwelling  in  wired  enclosures  on 
the  southern  side  of  the  terrace.  Here  is  a  perpetual  tu- 
mult of  life  and  sound  during  the  day,  and  a  rainbow  of 
flashing  colors,  purple,  yellow,  blue,  and  green  mingling 
and  separating.  The  amateur  questions  the  golden  and 
silver  pheasants,  trailing  their  silky  plumage  in  the  sun, 
the  melancholy,  stormy  curlew,  the  house  sparrows  of 
western  India,  intent  on  nest  building  in  any  available 
corner,  a  Lebanon  redstart,  a  white  linnet,  a  Russian  tit, 
a  Chinese  robin,  with  barred  wings,  the  families  of  pigeons 
and  finches,  while  the  starlings,  sun  birds,  parrokeets,  and 
cardinals  come  and  go  in  a  broken  prism  of  lovely  tints. 


A  BIRD   FROM   OVER   THE   SEAS.  11 

The  little  Java  sparrows  sit  on  the  upper  perches,  like  sober 
folk,  a  trifle  dull  yet  very  respectable.  It  is  to  be  feared 
the  great  work  on  ornithology,  if  ever  completed,  will  be 
garnished  with  many  digressions  of  bird  history  partak- 
ing of  the  nature  of  fairy  tales.  The  juvenile  author,  with 
the  large,  lustrous  eyes,  thin  features,  and  eager  smile,  is 
especially  charmed  with  the  legend  of  the  traveller  from 
Frangistan  who  climbed  Mount  Argos  to  gather  the  magi- 
cal plant  with  ten  leaves  around  the  stalk  and  the  flower 
in  the  centre,  guarded  by  serpents,  and,  failing  in  the 
attempt,  destroyed  himself,  to  be  found  changed  into  a 
book. 

The  master  of  the  birds  will  not  attain  manhood.  The 
people  about  him,  with  the  instinctive  sympathy  of  the 
Italian  race  for  misfortune,  might  lament  in  the  symboli- 
cal language  of  Daphnis  and  Adonis  the  fresh  beauty  of 
spring  destined  to  wither  in  the  heat  of  summer,  and  the 
extinction  of  youthful  genius  by  early  death. 

A  postern  door  in  the  Avail  opens,  and  a  man  enters  the 
enclosure.  He  is  young,  bronzed  by  sun  and  wind,  stalwart 
of  form,  and  has  restless,  dark  eyes,  with  curling  black  hair 
and  beard.  He  is  recognizable,  at  a  casual  glance,  as  a 
sailor.  He  carries  a  macaw  of  the  Antilles  perched  on  his 
left  wrist.  If  the  hope  of  the  mariner  of  all  countries  is 
steadfastly  fixed  on  the  haven  of  home,  while  braving  the 
storms  of  ocean,  the  beacon  possesses  a  radiant  promise  to 
the  Mediterranean  sailor.  Thus  the  sanguine  Bernardo, 
son  of  the  porter  of  the  family  palace  in  town,  and  affianced 
to  the  pretty  dressmaker,  Francesca,  eldest  daughter  of 
Lorenzo,  the  custodian  at  the  gate  of  the  villa,  having 
reached  Genoa  on  board  the  Italian  bark  "  Stella "  from 
Buenos  Ayres  at  an  earlier  date  than  was  anticipated,  gains 
the  path  slyly,  and  trolls  forth  a  welcome  to  the  spot  in  a 
fine  baritone  voice, — 


12  GENOA   THE   SUPERB. 

"  Of  singing  Stornelli  I  know  a  goodly  store, 
Enough  to  freight  four  mighty  vessels  and  more, 
Let  who  thinks  to  defeat  me  but  come  to  the  fore. 

"  Into  all  the  four  parts  of  the  earth  I  have  been, 
And  some  little  I  know  about  matters  marine. 
But  Columbus,  there 's  no  one  can  beat  me,  I  ween  !  " 

Exclamations  of  recognition  and  welcome  ensue. 

"Bernardo  has  returned  from  America!"  exclaims  the 
young  count,  seated  on  the  terrace  in  his  wheeled  chair. 
"  He  has  brought  me  a  bird  from  over  the   seas." 

The  sailor  has  not  forgotten  the  young  master  on  his  dis- 
tant voyage.  The  poor  little  bark  "  Stella "  has  threaded 
her  way  across  the  stormy  main,  and  back  again,  in  a  most 
commonplace  and  orderly  fashion,  bringing  the  gorgeous 
macaw,  with  plumage  and  tail  of  lustrous,  emerald-green 
tints,  a  native  of  the  New  World,  to  the  modern  son  of 
Genoa,  the  cripple  in  his  chair.  Does  one  of  the  group  of 
Genoese  gathered  together  on  the  terrace,  from  the  silent 
father  now  moved  to  unwonted  animation,  the  rosy  Fran- 
cesca,  laughing  and  crying,  the  habitually  taciturn  Lorenzo, 
to  the  grandmother,  nodding  and  smiling  over  the  heads  of 
the  children,  think  of  that  other  sailor  who  ventured  forth 
on  untried  waters  some  four  centuries  ago  ? 

The  fish-wife  Marietta  joins  the  company,  with  her  basket 
poised  on  her  head,  a  store  of  silvery  anchovies,  little  mul- 
let flecked  with  red  spots,  with  an  occasional  prawn,  shrimp, 
and  scrambling  crab.  The  nets  have  been  slowly  drawn  to 
shore,  and  the  pessimist  Giacomo  proved  in  the  wrong,  for 
his  own  haul  is  the  most  abundant,  including  a  baby  sole 
or  two,  a  sea-horse,  an  infant  octopus  to  be  devoured  whole 
by  avenging  mankind,  while  the  tentacles,  tough  yet  sweet 
to  the  palate,  of  larger  specimens  would  be  severed,  a  fine 
palombo  (dog-fish),  —  an  object  of  envy  to  all,  —  and  carp. 

The  sailor  Bernardo  laughs,  showing  strong  white  teeth, 
and  permits  the  old  Marietta,  robbed  of  her  two  boys  by 


A  BIRD   FROM   OVER   THE   SEAS.  13 

the  cruel  sea,  to  question  and  admire  him.  The  women 
gravely  select  fish  from  the  basket  for  the  noonday  meal, 
and  even  the  count  manifests  interest  in  the  anchovies. 
As  for  Marietta,  she  rarely  consumes  her  own  wares,  and 
deems  herself  fortunate  if  she  can  eat  a  handful  of  mussels, 
fairy  clams  with  pearly  shells,  dredged  along  the  coast,  or 
any  other  frutta  di  Mare  (fruit  of  the  sea)  with  her  daily 
crust. 

Ah,  what  a  feast  will  be  held  in  the  little  tower  at  the 
gate  in  honor  of  the  returned  mariner  !  The  master  sends 
a  flask  of  wine  and  a  fowl ;  Lorenzo  returns  from  the 
market-place  with  a  goodly  supply  of  firm,  fresh  Parmesan 
cheese,  and  pasta  of  Genoese  manufacture  ;  the  women  pre- 
pare to  serve  the  contents  of  the  net  fried  to  a  crisp  condi- 
tion in  the  oil  of  Liguria.  The  fine  appetite  of  Bernardo 
will  discover  a  delicious  flavor  in  the  harvest  of  Marietta's 
basket  wholly  lacking  in  the  finny  tribe  of  other  seas,  and 
the  loaf  possess  a  zest  of  home,  just  as  Dante  found  the 
bread  of  exile,  whether  at  Verona  or  Ravenna,  salt  and 
bitter,  inducing  longing  for  the  unseasoned  leaven  of  his 
own  beautiful  Florence.  Why  does  Florence  not  salt  her 
bread  ? 

Bernardo  and  Francesca,  seated  side  by  side,  are  types  of 
the  Genoese.  Possibly  some  resemblance  to  the  early  Phoe- 
nician may  still  be  discernible  in  external  appearance  and 
inherited  characteristics.  The  sailor  is  of  medium  height, 
broad  of  shoulder,  and  muscular,  with  a  dark  skin,  and 
crisply  curling  black  hair  and  beard,  while  his  features 
reveal  animation  and  intelligence.  The  girl  is  short  of 
stature,  plump,  vivacious,  with  a  clear  complexion,  and  the 
vivid  tints  of  health  on  cheek  and  lip.  She  wears  the  black 
lace  veil  of  the  region  on  her  abundant  tresses,  on  occasion, 
with  a  coquettish  grace.  Neither  mariner  nor  maiden  seems 
to  justify  the  sarcasm  hurled  at  the  Republic  by  other  Ita- 
lian towns,  as  the  earlier  Greeks  and  Latins  vilified  each 


14  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

other  in  deadly  feud  of  rivalry :  Mare  senza  pesce,  mon- 
tagne  senza  alberi,  uomini  senza  fede,  e  donne  senza  vergogna. 

As  the  sunshine  is  resplendent,  and  the  air  full  of  pulsing 
life,  so  the  shadows  have  an  additional  intensity  of  contrast ; 
volatile  gayety  of  disposition,  the  merest  surface  frivolity  of 
expansive  happiness,  and  tragic  despair  go  ever  hand  in 
hand. 

The  dark  face  of  Maria  glooms,  and  she  extends  no  cor- 
dial greeting  to  the  returned  sailor.  She  spreads  linen  to 
dry  on  a  pink  wall,  with  vines  growing  above  that  cast 
shadows  of  swaying  leaves  down  on  her  head,  draped  with 
a  yellow  handkerchief,  and  bare,  brown  arms.  She  croons 
a  folk-song  as  she  works,  and  her  voice,  robbed  by  sorrow 
of  the  vibrating  sweetness  of  melody,  chills  the  heart  of  a 
listener :  — 

"  That  thou  art  pretty,  from  all  men  we  hear, 
And  yet  for  this  year, 
There  's  no  husband  for  thee  ! 
And  ev'ry  next  year  as  it  comes  to  its  end, 
This  very  same  refrain  our  voices  will  send,  — 
There 's  no  husband  for  thee  !  " 

Maria  had  been  the  nurse  of  the  young  count.  She  is  a 
Ligurian,  a  descendant  of  that  mysterious  race  of  the  shore 
and  mountains  who  battled  with  Etruscans,  Romans,  and 
Corsairs,  in  turn,  for  possession  of  their  rude  hearthstones. 
Tall,  lithe,  and  thin,  she  possesses  the  extraordinary  mus- 
cular strength  which  enables  the  girls  of  Mentone  to  carry 
heavy  baskets  of  lemons  on  their  heads,  the  matrons  of 
San  Remo  to  support  the  four  corners  of  a  pianoforte  in  a 
similar  fashion,  and  casks  of  wine  unaided,  and  the  weather- 
worn creatures  of  the  hills  burdens  of  fagots  and  wood, 
descending  nimbly  narrow  and  steep  paths.  She  carries 
the  young  count  to  his  bed  in  her  arms,  like  an  infant. 
Her  history  is  readily  elicited  from  her  own  lips,  if  her 
confidence  is  won.     She  points  to  the  distant  heights,  where 


A  BIRD  FROM  OVER   THE   SEAS.  15 

on  the  route  to  the  Col.  di  Tenda  and  Savoy  beyond,  a 
group  of  slender  cypresses  rise  black  amidst  the  soft  gray 
tones  of  olive  groves  in  the  tiny  cemetery  on  a  crest,  with 
chapel  attached.     Mario,  her  sailor,  lies  buried  there. 

Twenty  years  before,  Mario  Savelli  arrived  in  the  port  of 
Genoa  on  board  the  "  Falcon,"  from  the  West  Indies.  The 
winds  had  been  favorable,  and  the  voyage  curtailed  in 
consequence.  The  sailor  started  the  ensuing  dawn  for  the 
home  of  his  betrothed,  the  beautiful  Maria.  He  meditated 
a  surprise,  kept  his  own  counsel,  strapped  his  money-belt 
more  securely  around  his  waist,  took  a  stout  stick  in  his 
hand,  and  quitted  the  gates  of  the  city  for  the  hills.  Life 
smiled  on  the  returned  sailor.  He  was  vigorous,  handsome, 
and  intelligent.  He  had  steadily  won  his  way  from  cabin 
boy  to  mate  on  board  the  "  Falcon,"  plying  between  Mediter- 
ranean ports  and  South  America.  The  land  welcomed  him 
with  the  fragrance  of  flowers,  while  the  murmur  of  the  sea 
caressed  his  ear  as  the  fisher-folk  of  each  little  hamlet  along 
the  shore  drew  their  nets  with  the  harvest  of  sardine  and 
anchovy.  Inland  the  soft  veil  of  interlacing  olive  branches 
spread  before  him,  ready  to  yield  the  purple-black  fruit  to 
be  crushed  by  the  slowly  revolving  wheels  of  the  oil  mills 
of  every  gorge.  Mario  experienced,  at  the  moment,  the 
same  passionate  attachment  to  the  soil  which  characterizes 
the  Lucca  image-vendor  in  returning  to  his  mountain  cra- 
dle, or  the  Oriental  at  beholding  a  palm-tree,  after  a  long 
absence  in  cold  countries.  What  air-castles  he  built  as  he 
strode  along,  singing  a  merry  Bitornello !  Yonder  were 
nooks  built  by  retired  captains,  each  owning  his  vineyard 
and  bit  of  land.  Mario  saw  himself  one  of  the  number, 
with  his  wife  by  his  side,  and  children  as  rosy  as  the  angels 
of  the  church  pictures  gathered  about  his  knee.  Fulfil- 
ment was  so  near  that  he  had  only  to  stretch  forth  his 
brawny,  sun-bronzed  hand,  and  grasp  the  gift. 

At  noonday  he  turned  from  the  highway  and  began  to 


16  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

climb  the  hills.  He  removed  his  hal  and  unbuttoned  his 
jacket,  for  the  sun  was  hot.  Farther  on  was  the  village 
where  he  was  born,  and  the  family  of  -Maria  dwelt,  —  hon- 
est folk,  proud  of  the  girl's  beauty,  and  the  prosperous 
marriage  she  was  about  to  make.  The  mute  was 
and  rough,  bordered  with  long  stretches  of  walls  and 
Leading  to  secluded  property,  terraces  of  olive-trees,  and 
bird  towers  in  which  to  ensnare  the  feathered  travellers 
from  Africa. 

The  squalid  Osteria  of  the  Black  Eagle  was  Bituated  at 
the  bend  of  the  road,  and  the  inn-keeper  watched  the  sailor 
climbing  the  path.  The  inn-keeper  was  a  Lean  and  vulpine 
man,  with  a  hungry  and  envious  mien,  poor,  gaunt,  vicious, 
and  as  great  a  contrast,  in  humanity,  to  the  approaching 
mariner  with  his  warm  and  generous  temperament,  as  God's 
creatures  peopling  the  earth  may  offer.  He  accosted  his 
prey,  clamored  for  a  little  charity,  and  the  pale  wife  and 
children  whined  and  fawned  about  Mario,  until  he  yielded 
to  their  solicitations,  seated  himself  at  a  table,  and  quaffed 
a  glass  of  bad  wine,  paying  liberally  with  a  silver  coin. 
The  woman  and  children  slunk  away  into  the  darkness  of 
their  wretched  habitation,  while  the  host  plied  his  customer 
with  eager  questions  about  South  America,  and  strove  to 
replenish  the  glass  the  while,  until  Mario  rose  to  his  feet, 
feeling  giddy  and  ill. 

Two  Carabinieri  approached.  The  inn-keeper  scowled 
and  grew  livid.  The  sailor  greeted  these  new  comers  joy- 
ously. They  were  brave  and  stalwart  guards,  whose  routine 
of  duty  led  them  frequently  to  search  the  Black  Eagle  as  a 
place  of  evil  repute.  On  the  present  occasion  they  discov- 
ered nothing  amiss.  A  portion  of  meat  lay  on  the  kitchen 
table,  with  a  long,  keen  knife  beside  the  food.  They  took 
Mario  by  the  arm,  and  looked  significantly  at  the  inn- 
keeper. He  gazed  after  the  trio  in  silence.  The  brain  of 
the  sailor  cleared  ;    possibly  the  wine  was  drugged.     The 


A  BIRD  FROM   OVER  THE   SEAS.  17 

Carabinieri  warned  the  honest  fellow  not  to  frequent  the 
Black  Eagle.  Mario  invited  them  to  his  wedding.  At 
the  cross-roads  they  separated ;  the  guards  had  a  warrant 
to  serve  at  the  distance  of  several  kilometers,  the  sailor 
was  in  sight  of  the  church  tower  of  his  native  village. 

Maria  watched  for  a  white  sail  on  the  blue  sea,  waking 
and  sleeping.  She  gained  a  spot  overlooking  the  Mediter- 
ranean and  recognized  Mario  ascending  the  path.  Oh,  joy 
of  recognition  !  The  girl's  bright  eyes  sparkled  and  her 
bosom  heaved  with  emotion,  while  a  warm  glow  suffused 
her  cheek.  At  last  her  sailor  lover  had  returned !  The 
span  of  road  still  separating  the  happy  young  couple  should 
have  represented  a  wide  avenue  of  future  union  rather  than 
the  narrow  bridge  leading  to  Eternity.  She  clasped  her 
hands  over  her  throbbing  heart  and  sprang  forward,  tast- 
ing, in  advance,  the  triumph  of  leading  her  affianced  hus- 
band into  the  hamlet  by  the  hand  to  receive  the  welcome 
of  the  community. 

The  young  man  advanced  rapidly.  He  breathed  the  good 
air  of  home  in  the  white  dust  of  the  highway,  the  pungent 
scent  of  the  sage,  the  sweetness  of  the  oleander.  Suddenly 
Maria  discerned  a  crouching  form  gliding  among  the  olive- 
trees.  He  was  watching  and  following  the  sailor.  The 
girl's  features  grew  ashy  pale,  and  her  eyes  dilated  with 
horror.     A  cry  escaped  her  lips. 

Mario  saw  her ;  that  was  his  destruction.  He  made  a 
gesture  of  greeting,  and  swung  his  hat  in  the  air.  Alas  ! 
Was  there  no  one  to  warn  him  besides  the  terrified  specta- 
tor ?  She  wrung  her  hands  in  anguish,  then  pointed  to  the 
olive-trees.  Mario,  with  his  ardent  gaze  fixed  on  the  beau- 
tiful maiden  -in  the  distance,  neither  heeded  nor  perceived 
impending  danger.  The  inn-keeper  dropped  into  the  road 
a  few  paces  behind  his  victim,  grasping  a  long,  keen  knife 
in  his  right  hand.  He  overtook  the  sailor ;  the  glittering 
weapon  rose  and  fell  in  the  air,  and  Mario  sank  on  the 


18  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

road,  the  song  still  on  his  lips.  The  inn-keeper  clutched 
the  money  belt  of  the  dead  man  and  fled. 

When  the  Carabinieri  returned  they  found  Maria  crouch- 
ing on  the  ground,  holding  the  head  of  her  lover  on  her 
breast.  These  sleuth-hounds  of  Justice  descended  to  the 
Black  Eagle,  silenced  the  family,  and  watched  for  the  re- 
turn of  the  inn-keeper.  The  knife  was  no  longer  lying  on 
the  kitchen  table.  He  came  at  length,  elated  with  an  in- 
toxication never  previously  known  in  his  miserable  exist- 
ence, and  hugging  the  belt  lined  with  gold  to  his  breast. 
He  had  sacrificed  a  life  to  obtain  possession  of  the  wealth, 
but  the  deed  was  no  more  to  his  brutalized  intelligence  than 
slaying  a  fowl.  He  blinked  stupidly  when  the  guards  seized 
and  bound  him,  red-handed  from  the  deed  of  violence.  His 
brain  seemed  paralyzed  after  a  supreme  effort  of  evil. 

Such  was  the  crime  of  the  noonday,  incredible  and  swift. 
The  sun  still  shone  on  the  dusty  road,  the  breeze  rippled 
the  leaves  of  the  olive-trees,  and  a  passing  bird  uttered  a 
sweet  note  of  song.  Wrecked  in  port  was  the  seamen's 
verdict ;  slain  on  the  threshold  of  home  had  been  the  lament 
of  the  countryside.  Mario  had  hoped  to  see  his  own  grapes 
and  olives  ripen,  and  there  remained  for  him  only  the 
gloomy  cypress-tree.  The  crew  of  the  "  Falcon  "  bore  him  to 
the  grave  in  the  little  cemetery,  the  penitents  carried  torches 
and  candles,  the  priests  chanted,  the  local  dignitaries  ap- 
peared in  the  insignia  of  office,  the  retired  captains  came 
from  their  snug  homes,  and  the  country-people  flocked  in 
multitudes.  The  chief  mourner  was  silent ;  fever  saved  her 
from  madness,  and  later  she  quitted  her  home  to  enter  the 
service  of  her  present  employers.  The  gold  pieces  of  the 
sailor's  money-belt  were  spent  in  masses  for  the  repose  of 
his  soul. 

The  grandmother  affords  still  another  type  as  she  cuts 
the  salad  for  the  noonday  meal  in  the  tiny  patch  of  garden 
adjacent  to  the  tower  lodge.      She  is  one  of  those  shriv- 


A  BIRD   FROM   OVER   THE   SEAS.  19 

elled  and  bent  old  women  often  met  in  France  and  Italy, 
—  patient,  mild,  rare  of  speech,  and  indefatigably  indus- 
trious in  the  interests  of  her  descendants.  She  rises  at  five 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  subsists  on  a  morsel  of  bread  dipped 
in  a  little  soup,  and  seeks  her  bed  with  the  setting  sun. 
She  has  tended  countless  babies,  listening  placidly  to  their 
precocious  prattle  while  she  knits  the  fine  stockings,  for 
which  she  is  noted,  without  the  aid  of  spectacles.  The 
patch  of  bitter  salad,  with  the  narrow,  rough  leaf,  known 
as  radicehio  (succory,  wild  endive)  is  her  especial  care. 
She  sows  the  seed,  weeds,  waters,  and  gathers  in  triumph 
the  little  harvest.  She  also  cultivates  lavender,  and  weaves 
those  oblong  balls  which  resemble  the  nest  of  the  field- 
mouse,  dear  to  Italian  housewives,  by  means  of  fastening  a 
bit  of  ribbon  below  the  sheaf  of  purple  bloom,  and  turning 
back  the  green  stems  to  form  a  cone  over  the  drying  and 
fragrant  flowers.  Who  so  proud  as  the  grandmother  that 
she  is  permitted  thus  to  dry  the  lavender  destined  to  per- 
fume the  linen  of  the  young  count's  couch,  just  as  she  pre- 
pares the  vegetables  for  his  dinner,  cleansing,  scraping, 
and  paring  roots  with  a  precision,  neatness,  and  despatch 
worthy  of  emulation  by  younger  fingers  ?  Has  this  tranquil 
and  meek  old  age  no  tragedies  to  mourn,  no  sorrows  to  sur- 
vive ?  The  grandmother  is  silent,  and  waits  for  the  setting 
of  the  sun. 

Lorenzo's  pride  is  the  grape-vine  covering  the  Pergola, 
which  was  planted,  trained,  and  is  pruned  by  his  own 
hand;  and  from  the  abundant  purple  clusters  he  makes 
wine.  Does  the  custodian  adhere  strictly  to  the  traditions 
of  his  ancestors  in  time  of  vintage  for  his  tiny  Pergola  ? 
In  the  fifteenth  century  Genoa  dried  her  grapes  in  the  sun 
on  bundles  of  rushes,  according  to  the  historian  Serra,  then 
placed  them  in  vases  plastered  with  chalk,  leaving  the  fruit 
to  ferment  for  a  stated  time,  withdrawing  the  first  quality, 
and  treating  the  remnant  with  rosin  ! 


20  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

On  the  shore  the  new  vessel  is  being  built  in  the .  ship- 
yard. The  little  Russian  boy,  still  interested  in  the  toy 
boat,  places  a  tiny  china  doll  near  the  mast,  in  command. 
The  sea-faring  man,  who  has  lost  his  bet  on  the  nets,  smiles. 

"  What  name  has  the  signorino  given  to  his  ship  ? "  he 
inquires. 

The  little  Russian  is  quite  surprised.  Surely  the  minia- 
ture craft  can  have  but  one  name  here  !  He  points  to  the 
neat  gilt  letters  across  the  bows,  —  "  Cristoforo  Colombo." 

As  a  boy  did  Columbus  stand  on  the  strand  of  Pegli,  and 
watch  the  building  of  a  ship  ?  Did  he  sail  toy  boats  on  the 
ripples,  as  the  little  Russian,  fragile  flower  of  childhood 
from  the  cold  North,  is  doing  to-day  ? 

The  sun  rises  over  the  mountains,  and  the  spires  and 
roofs  of  Genoa  sparkle  in  the  warm  light. 

"  Oh,  Genova  Superba ! 
What  city  is  like  thee  ?  " 


CHAPTER   II. 

A   GENOESE   BALCONY. 

GENOA  is  as  much  a  city  of  the  balcony  as  Venice, 
her  fair  rival  of  the  Adriatic  shore,  with  the  differ- 
ence that  the  external  perch  of  lofty  houses  here  over- 
looks arches,  narrow  streets,  and  shadowy  gardens  redolent 
of  roses  and  orange  blossoms  instead  of  the  sinuous  wind- 
ings of  the  tranquil  canal.  Each  possesses  an  individual 
charm. 

Genoa  bathed  in  the  light  of  the  moon  :  who  that  has 
ever  thus  beheld  the  cradle  of  Columbus  will  soon  forget 
the  brain  picture  ? 

Linger  for  a  moment  on  this  balcony.  The  town  should 
claim  of  the  American  an  element  of  patriotic  interest;  and 
jesting  apart,  in  the  humorous  spirit  of  the  modern  tourist, 
cicerone-haunted,  the  shrine  of  the  discoverer  of  the  New 
World  is  worthy  of  especial  homage  of  contemplation. 

The  moon  shines  on  roofs  and  towers,  with  a  silvery 
radiance,  sheds  glittering  shafts  of  beams  down  steep 
streets,  and  defines  the  outline  of  crooked  steeps  leading 
to  tin1  quays,  or  quivers  on  the  foaming  spray  of  a  fountain 
mi  ;i  sheltered  terrace,  gleams  on  the  harbor,  and  makes  a 
broad  track  of  light  on  the  Mediterranean  sea  beyond. 

The  palace  of  the  balcony  is  brilliantly  illuminated,  and 
from  this  point  of  vantage,  the  wrought-iron  railing  of  our 
airy  perch  of  the  fourth  story,  we  may  gaze  down  on  the 
court,  even  obtaining  fleeting  glimpses  of  the  state  apart- 


22  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

mcnts  of  the  first  floor,  where  an  entertainment  is  given 
in  honor  of  the  birthday  of  the  eldest  son. 

The  mansion  has  turned  a  leaf  in  the  volume  of  family 
history  not  dissimilar  to  that  of  the  commonwealth.  The 
bones  of  the  founders  of  the  race,  wrapped  in  shrouds  of 
cloth-of-gold,  lie  in  the  vaults  of  the  Cathedral  of  Sao 
Lorenzo,  where  they  were  interred  with  every  pomp  of 
circumstance,  in  their  day  ;  but  a  traditional  renown  once 
equal  to  that  of  a  Doria,  a  Spinola,  or  a  Griinaldi  has  van- 
ished, and  the  modern  bunker  dwells  here  instead.  The  gate- 
way has  a  lintel  of  black  Lavagna  slate,  and  Saint  George, 
as  champion  of  the  city,  is  carved  in  bold  relief  above  the 
arch,  trampling  upon  a  writhing  dragon.  The  vestibule, 
with  its  twin  rows  of  columns,  and  walls  decorated  with  a 
dado  of  Savona  tiles,  gives  access  to  the  magnificent  mar- 
ble stairway,  guarded  by  griffins.  Crystal  chandeliers 
sparkle  in  those  vast  chambers  of  the  first  floor,  where  the 
frescoes  of  ceiling  and  wall  glow  with  scenes  of  Genoese 
history,  conflicts  with  Pisa  by  sea  and  land,  and  such  state 
ceremonial  as  the  Apotheosis  of  a  Doge  on  the  vault  of  the 
ball-room,  framed  in  a  massive  gilt  cornice. 

The  hostess  in  her  robe  of  amber  satin  and  lace,  with 
jewels  gleaming  in  her  dark  hair,  has  a  languid  and  pen- 
sive grace  of  bearing  which  is  Oriental.  At  times  one  seems 
to  read  in  the  flame  of  her  melancholy  dark  eyes  a  souvenir 
of  the  wrongs  her  people  suffered  in  those  centuries  when 
a  throng  of  Jews  banished  from  Spain  by  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella  spent  a  winter  of  severe  cold  huddled  together 
on  a  quay  of  Genoa,  while  warmly  clad  citizens,  zealously 
mindful  of  the  Crusades,  passed  by  on  the  other  side. 

The  host,  affable  and  hospitable,  with  a  keen  and  intel- 
lectual face  surrounded  by  a  gray  beard,  holds  business 
relations  with  Rome,  Trieste,  Berlin,  Paris,  London,  and 
New  York.  The  ocean  cable  and  the  telegraph  are  his 
letter  writers  ;  the  telephone  and  phonograph  his  obedient 


A  GENOESE   BALCONY.  23 

slaves.  He  still  represents  a  type  that  might  have  replied 
to  Shylock's  demand :  "  How,  now,  Tubal,  what  news  from 
Genoa  ?  " 

The  children  are  dressed  in  masquerade.  Little  pilgrims, 
clad  in  costumes  of  black  and  silver,  with  broad  hats,  a 
gourd  of  water,  and  loaves  of  bread  attached  to  the  girdle, 
lean  on  their  staffs  to  sing  a  quaint  hymn  in  the  Genoese 
dialect.  Roman  soldiers  and  Crusaders  strut  about,  re- 
splendent in  shining  armor.  A  bevy  of  Cupids  and 
Angels  spread  spangled  wings,  moved  at  pleasure.  These 
graceful  shapes  gather  about  the  young  naval  officer  just 
landed  from  the  corvette,  "  Washington,"  anchored  in  the 
port.  When  will  the  Italian  marine  ever  lack  a  good  ship 
"  Washington  "  or  "  Columbus  "  ?  The  officer  possesses  for 
the  children  the  fascination  of  a  navigator  of  distant  seas. 
He  shows  the  group  a  nut,  —  the  seed  of  a  tropical  plant, 
polished  to  the  lustre  of  mahogany  by  the  friction  of 
the  waves,  and  wafted  far  from  its  native  coral-reef  by 
the  weeds  and  currents  of  the  Gulf  Stream.  Did  not  the 
brother-in-law  of  Columbus  find  such  a  nut  floating  off 
Madeira,  harvest  of  the  sea  which  led  the  discoverer  to 
suspect  the  existence  of  another  continent,  and  dream  of  a 
mysterious  America  ? 

Behold  this  siren  city  sheltered  by  the  purple  Apennines, 
and  laved  by  the  gentle  ripples  of  the  Mediterranean,  as 
she  basks  in  the  calm  splendor  of  the  southern  night. 
What  memories  her  very  boundaries  and  the  gateway  of 
sea  evoke !  Seated  on  her  rock,  Genoa  still  weaves  in  her 
loom  those  threads  of  commerce  drawn  from  the  remote 
portions  of  our  globe.  The  shuttle  is  not  idle  in  her 
fingers,  with  the  Mont  Cenis  tunnel  pierced  through 
the  mountains  at  her  back.  Possibly  modern  civilization 
does  not  tax  her  energies  as  fully  as  the  date  when  her 
ambition  rivalled  Venice,  the  Dutch,  the  schemes  of  the 
Hanseatic  League,  and  the  Portuguese,  her  colonies  were 


24  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

planted  on  the  shores  of  the   Black   Sea  and   the  Greek 
Islands,  her  ships  sought  the  waters  of  the  Baltic,  and  her 
famous  Bank  of  St.  George  ushered  in  new  monetary 
terns.    Warriors,  knights,  and  baughtj  nobles  indeed  pi        I 
their  pari    in  the  developmenl  ol   the  commonwealth, 
the  stamp  of  a  people  composed  bo  largel}  ol  i  and 

laborious  mariners  remains  as  the  enduring  imprint  of 
BcudO)  coronato,  denaro,  or  ducat,  <»n  the  population.  Pietro 
Doria  might  boast,  in  martial  spirit,  thai  he  would  In-idle 
the  four  bronze  horses  of  the  Piazza  San  Marco  a1  Venice; 
thrifty  Genoa  still  earlier,  in  the  year  1177,  had  made  a 
treaty  with  Egypt,  recognizing  thai  Cairo  was  the  road  to 
India,  the  Red  Sea,  and  Arabia. 

The  moon  shines  on  the  line  of  town-wall  following 
the  irregularities  of  shore  and  hillside  now  climbing  to  the 
heights  of  the  Fucine,  the  summit  of  Piccapietra,  or  the 
hill  of  Castelletto,  and  thence  dipping  by  many  a  towered 
portal  to  the  water's  brink  of  port.  Men,  women,  and 
children  once  labored  together  to  gird  Genoa  with 
fence  capable  of  defying  Barb  .  while  the  archb 

melted  down  the  golden  chalices  of  church  altars,  and 
ladies  cast  their  jewelry  into  the  crucible  of  a  common 
patriotism.  Black  shadow  rests  on  the  mass 
and  arch  of  the  Porta  San  Andrea,  now  sunk  amidst  rows 
of  squalid  habitations,  where  Pisa's  harbor  chains  have 
swung,  as  a  trophy  of  war.  Sombre  obscurity  shrouds  the 
time-stained  walls  of  the  Bank  of  St.  George,  built  of  the 
stones  which  were  brought  to  the  spot,  one  by  one,  when 
the  Greek  Emperor  gave  to  the  Genoese  the  Venetian  mon- 
astery of  Pantacratore  at  Constantinople,  after  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  treaty  of  Ninfeo.  This  grim  cradle  of  m< 
monetary  systems  was  the  field  of  a  deft  circulation  of  bills 
of  exchange,  as  well  as  the  hoarding-place  of  stores  of 
shining  wealth.  Inseparable-  associated  with  serious  finan- 
cial schemes  is  the  souvenir  of  the  Genoese  paying  their 


A  GENOESE  BALCONY.  25 

hired  soldiery,  those  trained  archers  the  lean  Ligurians 
reputed,  according  to  the  ancient  proverb,  as  more  than  a 
match  for  the  stoutest  Gaul,  with  peppercorns  instead  of 
coin  at  the  siege  of  Antioch,  —  a  foretaste  of  luxury  in  the 
importation  of  drugs  and  spices  of  the  East. 

The  moonbeams  weave  their  witchery  about  the  cathe- 
dral, playing  over  the  lustrous  surface  of  striped  marbles, 
rich  carvings,  and  those  Moorish,  spiral  columns  from  the 
Mosque  of  Almeria,  and  linger  in  the  depths  of  the  Gothic 
doorways.  In  this  rippling  flood  of  pure  light  phantom 
shapes  seem  to  flit  across  the  checkered  space  of  tessellated 
pavement  before  the  sacred  edifice,  coining  and  going,  like 
the  fitful  night  wind,  fantastic,  impalpable,  the  shapes  of 
dreams.  Now  the  chancellor  is  seated  on  his  raised  dais 
to  act  as  judge  in  state  ceremonials.  Now  the  Doge  passes 
in  robes  of  purple  velvet,  while  attendant  pages  carry  his 
round  hat  of  office.  Pope  Innocent  IV.,  storm-driven  by 
land  and  sea  alike,  pauses  in  his  native  city,  and  pious 
Genoa  escorts  him  in  a  carriage,  decked  with  silks  and 
cloth-of-gold,  to  the  archbishop's  palace,  strewing  flowers 
in  his  path.  Those  long,  wavering  bands  of  color,  misty, 
almost  evancsct'iit,  are  they  mere  prosaic  result  of  street 
and  house  illumination,  shedding  oblique  rays  on  the 
square  ?  Do  they  not  readily  blend  into  a  host  of  peni- 
tents, sumptuously  attired  in  crimson  enpes  and  vestments 
of  brocade,  with  staff  of  silver  in  the  hand,  or  a  company 
of  Franciscans,  cowled,  mournful,  and  ghostly,  carrying  a 
crown  of  thorns  and  a  human  skull?  Did  not  the  first 
Genoese  jeweller  who  wrought  those  chains  and  garlands 
of  frosted  silver  still  to  be  found  decking  dark  little  shops 
on  narrow  streets  strive  to  reproduce  in  the  cunning  craft 
of  burnished  metals  the  play  of  moonlight  on  the  facade  of 
the  Duomo  ?  The  moonbeams  seek  and  find  the  Church 
of  the  Annunziata,  on  which  sacred  edifice  the  Lomellini 
family  lavished   marbles,  frescoes,  and  gilding,  in  grateful 


26  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

recognition  of  having  been  permitted  to  hold  the  Island  of 
Tabarca  on  the  coast  of  Africa  for  two  centuries  by  a  pater- 
nal government,  and  enjoying  the  monopoly  of  the  coral 
fisheries. 

St.  Mary  of  the  Castle  is  veiled  in  darkness.  The  early 
rule  of  the  bishops  of  the  Republic  marks  this  site,  and  the 
incense  hangs  heavy  at  all  hours  in  the  chapel  built  by  the 
Ragusan  merchants.  A  pale  and  wandering  gleam  touches 
the  masonry  of  San  Matteo,  the  tomb  of  the  Doria  family, 
where  the  wise  and  ambitious  old  Andrea  Doria  was  gath- 
ered to  his  rest,  after  his  long  career  had  traversed  the 
tapestry  of  his  century  like  a  gorgeously  tinted  thread  of 
vicissitudes  and  triumph.  Down  on  the  quay  is  the  Church 
of  San  Sepolcro,  where  the  bones  of  Saint  John  the  Bap- 
tist were  treasured  after  the  siege  of  Antioch,  and  borne 
forth  in  storms  at  sea  to  miraculously  allay  the  tempest. 
Charles  V.  of  Spain,  Frederic  Barbarossa,  and  Louis  XII. 
of  France  have  knelt  at  the  shrine  of  San  Sepolcro,  thus 
conforming  to  the  outward  semblance  of  reverence  for  creed 
and  symbol,  at  least,  evinced  by  the  sovereigns  of  all  ages. 
On  the  margin  of  the  harbor  massive  walls  are  still  discov- 
erable, grim  and  dark,  sacred  to  the  memory  of  the  Knights 
Hospitallers,  where  pilgrims  slept  before  embarking  for  Pal- 
estine.    In  the  oratory  pious  Saint  Hugh  lived  and  died. 

The  Ligurian  shore  extends  on  the  right  hand.  A 
cloud  of  white  dust  curls  along  the  highway  toward  the 
city  gate.  What  body  in  movement  has  stirred  the  pow- 
dery soil,  ever  ready  to  rise  in  whirling  wreaths  and  sti- 
fling clouds  ?  Do  the  spectral  hosts  of  the  seven  thousand 
children  who  went  forth  at  the  close  of  the  fourth  Crusade 
to  be  devoured  by  the  wolves  of  hunger,  exposure,  and  dis- 
ease hover  near  the  scene  of  their  martyrdom  at  such  an 
hour  ?  Does  Genoa  again  watch  in  fear,  and  with  bated 
breath,  this  cloud  enveloping  a  murmuring  host  and  dread- 
ing the  approach  of  some  redoubtable  enemy,  until  the  wind 


A  GENOESE  BALCONY.  27 

sweeps  aside  the  obscuring  veil,  revealing  the  young  heads 
and  innocent  faces  ?  On  the  left  hand  the  waves  lap  about 
promontories,  and  glide  into  the  inlets  of  the  coast,  whis- 
pering their  secrets  to  the  pine-trees,  and  the  gardens  of 
orange,  lemon,  and  myrtle.  The  fine  ear  of  a  poet  might 
catch  the  meaning  of  their  cadence  in  the  soft  sounds  of 
the  night  and  the  sea,  for  they  are  the  echoes  of  memorv, — 
time  being  as  the  grains  of  sand  on  the  strand,  —  telling  of 
the  wanderings  of  the  solitary  Dante  among  the  vineyards 
of  Sarzana,  and  Petrarch's  communings  with  Chaucer  in 
the  monastery  of  Cervara,  when  the  latter  learned  the 
history  of  the  patient  Griseldis. 

"  Remember  us  with  these  great  souls,  and  accord  us 
a  share  of  their  immortality,"  the  crystal  clear  waves 
seem  to  murmur,  as  they  lapse  on  the  beach.  The  moon- 
light rests  with  a  snowy  lustre  on  the  terraces,  statues, 
fountains,  and  gardens  of  Fassuoli,  sloping  to  the  har- 
bor. When  Charles  V.  landed  on  these  marble  steps 
to  visit  his  faithful  Admiral  Andrea  Doria,  the  arbor 
adorned  with  rich  carpets  and  tapestries  of  Flanders,  in 
which  the  royal  banquet  was  served,  glided  gently  out  on 
these  waters  as  a  barge,  and  the  vessels  of  gold  and  silver 
used  at  the  feast  were  cast  overboard.  In  the  long  annals 
of  munificent  hospitality  surely  the  Genoese  fete  deserves 
a  place  of  honor. 

In  the  port,  a  Portuguese  man-of-war,  the  Bartolomeo 
Diaz,  awaits  a  royal  whim  in  visiting  the  land.  In  the 
evening  hour  those  shuttles  of  commerce  prepared  to 
thread  distant  oceans,  the  ships,  sway  to  their  own  re- 
flected shadows,  the  emigrant  craft  loading  for  Buenos 
Ayres,  and  the  latest  arrived  steamer  of  the  Italian  Navi- 
gation Company,  freighted  with  wheat  from  India,  side 
by  side  with  the  sturdy  British  collier  of  Newcastle.  Be- 
yond is  the  sea,  a  waste  of  limpid  waters,  extending 
to  a  pearly  horizon,  with   all  the  winds   of  Europe   and 


28  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

Africa  hushed  to  rest.  The  moon  and  the  night  claim  the 
sea  as  their  own.  The  light  rests  in  a  broad  sheet  of 
wide-spreading  effulgence  to  the  limits  of  infinity,  or  trem- 
bles on  the  crest  of  each  advancing  wavelet,  with  a  phos- 
phorescent gleam ;  the  night  broods  over  the  bosom  of 
the  deep,  with  a  yet  more  far-reaching  shadow. 

Jn  the  Palazzo  of  the  balcony  the  young  officer  has  given 
the  tropical  nut  —  fruit  of  distant  lands  —  to  the  little  boy 
clad  as  a  sailor.  The  lad  will  thrust  the  treasure  beneath 
his  pillow,  to  dream  of  a  time  when  he  will  become  a 
navigator.  The  banker-host  envelopes  himself  in  furs  and 
an  ulster  preparatory  to  taking  the  night-train  for  Paris. 
He  should  journey  instead  to  the  fairs  of  Marseilles, 
Frefus,  or  San  Raffaelo,  travelling  with  mules  well  capari- 
soned, or  sail  in  a  little  vessel,  such  as  once  bore  Saint 
Catherine  of  Siena  toward  Avignon.  The  last  strains  of 
music  wane,  the  lights  of  the  crystal  chandeliers  wax  dim, 
the  birthday  festival  is  over  for  another  year. 

Across  the  street  is  a  second  balcony,  still  more  typical 
of  the  Genoese  republic.  The  moon  touches  the  rows  of 
little  Gothic  arches,  the  traces  of  an  earlier  Loggia,  and 
the  numerous  casements,  now  deserted.  '>»nat  memories 
cling  about  the  balcony,  the  passion  of  love,  the  tragedies 
of  hate  and  revenge,  the  fulness  of  pride  and  life !  Here 
the  Genoese  girl  and  woman  accomplished  her  destiny. 
Her  task  was  the  delightful  one  of  decorating  this  bower 
to  enhance  her  own  beauty,  of  lingering  from  morning 
until  evening,  on  occasion,  as  the  animated  spectator 
of  religious  and  state  pageants.  How  often  pages  have 
wended  their  way  through  this  very  street,  beneath  the 
soft  gaze  of  maiden  loveliness,  preceding  the  twenty-one 
confraternities  of  the  city,  with  brazen  trumpets,  each 
cassacia  carrying  its  relics,  and  the  great  crucifixes  of 
tortoise-shell  and  silver  adorned  with  garlands  !  The  girl 
of  the  balcony  dropped  flowers  on  cars  of  allegorical  de- 


The  Columbus  MoiiumcnL 


A  GENOESE  BALCONY.  29 

sign,  whether  occupied  by  Saint  James,  John  the  Baptist, 
or  King  Herod  surrounded  by  his  court.  Thus  Genoa 
rests  embalmed  by  the  pure  night  in  the  manifold  associa- 
tions of  a  mighty  past,  the  linked  years  and  centuries 
extending  from  the  sombre  walls  on  the  water's  edge 
where  the  Crusaders  slept  before  embarking  for  the  East 
to  the  hills  descended  by  Frederic  Barbarossa.  Does  the 
fair  city  muse  only  of  the  Past  on  such  a  night,  and  at 
such  an  hour  ?  The  statue  of  Columbus,  erected  by  the 
cold  king,  Charles  Albert  of  Savoy,  in  response  to  the 
enthusiasm  of  Pope  Pius  IX.,  rises  on  the  Piazza  Acqua- 
verde,  like  a  shaft  of  snow,  glorified  in  every  detail  by  the 
light.  The  great  navigator  stands  supported  by  an  anchor, 
with  America  kneeling  at  his  feet.  Religion,  Wisdom, 
Strength,  and  Geography  in  allegorical  symbolism  are 
grouped  below  him,  with  the  prows  of  ships.  The  moon 
stoops  from  the  heavens  to  trace  with  a  glittering  finger 
the  inscription  of  the  pedestal,  — 

A   Cristoforo   Colombo. 
La  Patria. 

The  city  dreams  of  her  Past ;  the  marble  Columbus, 
erect  and  instinct  with  energy,  seems  to  gaze  out  over  the 
Mediterranean  toward  an  illimitable  Future. 

We  quit  that  airy  perch,  the  balcony  of  the  fourth  floor, 
and  close  the  casement. 


CHAPTER  III. 


THE  ECHO  OF  A  GKEAT  BELL. 


"  T  TISTORY  is  poetry,  could  we  but  tell  it  aright." 
X  A  Friendly  reader,  did  Carlyle  pen  these  words  as- 
cribed to  him  ?  May  we  of  this  generation  hope  for  the 
leisure  and  the  appreciation  requisite  to  divine  the  rhythm 
underlying  and  pulsing  through  the  life  of  the  Past  ? 
Who  knows  ? 

In  the  month  of  October  of  the  year  1890,  the  languor 
of  autumn  still  lingered  over  Genoa  at  the  hour  of  mid- 
night. The  sky  was  dark  and  threatening  with  rain-clouds, 
and  the  sea  beat  on  the  shore  in  moaning,  fretting  billows, 
lashed  to  turbulence  by  a  hot  and  fitful  wind.  Day  had 
been  unlovely  in  this  aspect,  with  stifling  volumes  of  dust 
eddying  around  the  corners  of  the  streets,  and  opaque 
masses  of  heaving  waters  stretching  to  a  gray  horizon, 
occasionally  touched  by  a  rippling  yellow  gleam  on  a  foam- 
crest  when  the  sun  shone  forth,  or  tinged  wide  tracks  a 
dull  jade-green  hue,  suggestive  of  turbid  depths  of  sand. 
The  uninitiated  stranger,  with  throbbing  temples  and 
relaxed  muscles,  might  well  fancy  himself  smitten  by  one 
of  those  insidious  fevers  that  have  scorched  and  consumed 
the  life  of  famous  victims  on  the  spot  in  past  centuries. 
The  wind  was  one  that  frequently  sends  the  Venetian  to 
bed  with  closed  casements,  and  renders  mere  existence  a 
burden  at  Trieste.  Night  was  full  of  the  charm  of  mys- 
tery, rippling  shadows  and  faint  gleams  of  light  mingling 
with  a  weird,  even   fantastic   effect.     Darkness  pervaded 


THE  ECHO  OF  A  GREAT  BELL.  31 

the  town,  pierced  by  gas-jets  and  electric-globes,  here  and 
there,  on  central  thoroughfares,  while  the  poplars  of  gar- 
dens and  the  plantations  of  the  slopes  above  rustled  and 
swayed  in  the  blast,  or  in  the  succeeding  lapses  of  calm 
the  leaves  of  terrace  and  arbor  whispered  together,  the 
fragrance  of  heliotrope  and  cassia  breathing  forth  a  subtle, 
pervading  incense,  like  a  lingering  memory  of  sunny  hours, 
to  mingle  with  the  atmosphere  peculiar  to  such  weather, 
redolent  of  railway  smoke,  the  steaming  dyes  of  factories, 
and  all  the  clinging  impurities  of  earth. 

The  statue  of  Columbus  was  no  longer  a  shaft  of  snowy 
marble,  glistening  in  the  calm  splendor  of  a  full  moon,  but 
a  monument,  storm  obscured,  as  the  tempest-tossed  soul  of 
the  navigator  was  troubled  in  maturity,  faintly  illuminated 
by  an  electric  ray  from  the  opposite  railway  station. 

"  The  great  bell  of  the  tower  of  the  Ducal  Palace,  fused  in 
1570,  and  broken  on  the  16th  of  March,  1860,  while  being  rung 
to  celebrate  the  annexation  of  the  Romagna  and  Tuscany  to 
Italy,  will  be  re-cast,  at  the  expense  of  the  Genoese  Munici- 
pality, on  the  12th  of  October,  1892,  the  anniversary  of  the  dis- 
covery of  America." 

This  paragraph,  printed  in  a  local  Italian  journal,  was 
read  aloud  by  the  old  American  captain,  seated  near  the 
table,  gold-rimmed  spectables  on  nose,  while  the  shaded 
lamp  softly  irradiated  his  white  hair  and  beard. 

"  Genoa  intends  to  celebrate  the  four  hundredth  anniver- 
sary of  the  discovery  of  America  by  the  representation  of 
the  opera  of  '  Cristoforo  Colombo,'  composed  in  1828,  by 
Morlachi,  a  contemporary  of  Charles  Maria  von  Weber," 
mused  the  musician.  "  Also,  Franchetti's  '  Columbus '  will 
be  heard." 

He  sought  the  pianoforte,  and  played  Liszt's  Bells  of 
Como,  with  that  graceful  touch  of  skilful  fingers  on  the 
k inboard  which  so  vividly  reproduces  the  first  chime   of 


32  GENOA  THE    SUPERB. 

the  vesper  note  awakening  the  echoes  of  the  hills  around 
the  lake. 

These  two  suggestions,  the  printed  word,  and  the  melody 
of  the  bells,  became  readily  elements  of  the  midnight 
hour,  imparting  a  fuller  significance  to  the  associations 
of   the  town.     They  furnished  the    very   pith  of   Byron's 

lines :  — 

"  But  words  are  things,  and  a  small  drop  of  ink, 
Falling  like  dew  upon  a  thought,  produces 
That  which  makes  thousands,  perhaps  millions,  think." 

The  musician  abruptly  ceased  playing.  He  quitted  the 
piano,  and  moved  about  the  chamber  restlessly,  passing  his 
long,  thin  fingers  through  his  hair.  Possibly,  like  Liszt,  a 
secret  instinct  of  composition  tormented  him.  He  paused 
beside  the  open  window,  where  the  curtains  swayed  in  the 
wind,  and  his  gaze  sought  the  roof  below  of  the  Palazzo  dei 
Principi  Doria,  long  the  winter  abode  of  Verdi. 

"  Why  does  not  the  Maestro  elaborate  the  theme  of  a 
Columbus  seeking  the  unknown  across  the  seas,  in  his 
maturity,  instead  of  dwelling  on  Othello  or  Falstaff  ?  "  he 
soliloquized.  "  There  is  the  Simon  Boccanegra."  The 
Mediterranean  mosquito,  gorged  with  the  venom  of  languid 
October,  stung  him  smartly  on  the  cheek. 

Robbed  of  the  medium  of  interwoven  harmonies,  the  cur- 
rent of  town  life  swiftly  returned  to  a  modern  and  tangible 
reality.  Warm,  human  tumults  arose  from  the  streets, 
kindled  by  the  rough,  new  wine  of  the  autumn  vintage. 
Does  the  character  of  the  people  change  in  such  ancient 
European  centres  ?  Yonder  peasant  arousing  the  slumber- 
ing blood  of  the  bystanders  by  the  lava  torrent  and  abund- 
ant gesticulation  of  his  own  wrongs,  at  some  injustice, 
might  be  a  lineal  descendant  of  the  mushroom-vendor  of 
Polcevera,  who  came  to  blows  over  the  price  of  his  wares 
with  one  of  the  Fieschi  faction,  and  a  riot  resulted.  That 
group  of  contadini,  good-humored,  and  slightly  tipsy,  re- 


THE  ECHO  OF  A  GREAT  BELL.  33 

turning  homeward  to  the  country-side  in  a  leisurely  fash- 
ion, might  have  fetched  the  Christmas  tree  from  their 
native  Vral  di  Bisagno  to  present  to  the  Doge  as  a  tribute, 
to  be  burned  in  his  presence,  with  suitable  rites  of  casting- 
spices  and  comlits  on  the  lire,  and  pouring  over  it  the 
libation  of  a  vase  of  wine. 

The  American  captain  continued  to  read  the  journal, 
seated  near  the  table  with  the  lamp.  He  had  strongly  de- 
veloped that  thirst  for  "news  as  fresh  as  the  current  coin 
of  the  mint,"  deemed  a  leading  national  characteristic. 
He  turned  the  sheet  with  a  crisp  and  practical  rustle  of 
paper,  and  dwelt  with  much  interest  on  the  subject  of  the 
fusion  of  bells  in  general.  The  Press  had  rescued  the  craft 
of  bell-founding  from  the  mists  of  antiquity  in  Thibet,  Tar- 
tary,  and  Ningpo,  even  making  mention  of  the  Campanile 
of  Nola.  The  process  was  reduced  to  a  mere  fusing  of 
copper  and  tin,  within  the  core  of  brickwork,  covered  with 
loam,  and  lowered  into  a  pit  of  black  sand,  with  subse- 
quent nicest  adjustment  of  the  properties  of  "  sound  bow," 
and  the  economy  of  "  quarter  turning." 

If  the  iron  steamship  of  swift  and  steady  qualities  is 
henceforth  to  supersede  the  dallying  sail  of  an  earlier  date, 
the  old  captain  himself  must  be  accepted  as  a  vanishing 
type.  A  follower  of  the  sea  from  boyhood  to  maturity, 
bluff,  kindly,  and  humorous  in  temperament,  the  harvest 
of  many  a  voyage  to  China  or  around  Cape  Horn  was  a 
snug  home  in  his  native  town  of  the  coast  of  New  England. 
He  was  fond  of  haunting  Mediterranean  ports,  especially 
Genoa,  in  search  of  winter  sunshine.  Are  not  the  retired 
naval  officers,  the  waifs  of  the  American  war  of  the  Con- 
federacy, the  Scotch  and  English  merchants,  with  their 
families,  more  rare  than  formerly  in  Leghorn,  and  Naples  as 
well  ?  Have  these  frequenters  of  English  church,  Dissent- 
ing chapel,  pension  kept  by  the  widow-lady  from  Dublin 
or  Edinburgh,  with  much  pretension  in  the  matter  of  soci- 

3 


34  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

ety  about  the  tea-table  of  an  evening,  or  shabby  Italian  inn 
of  excellent  wines  and  easy-going  routine,  gone  farther 
afield  to  Egypt  and  Greece,  lured  by  circular  tickets,  or 
been  caught  in  the  net  of  the  smiling  Riviera  ?  Mcthinks 
there  is  a  certain  hardness  in  the  modern  polish  of  the 
prosperous  city  of  spacious  hotels,  luxurious  cafes,  and 
apartments  of  dear  rents,  which  does  not  wholly  compen- 
sate to  the  foreigner  for  the  tarnished  and  inexpensive 
splendor,  the  balls  on  board  the  men-of-war  of  diverse 
nationalities  dear  to  graceful  maidenhood  in  exile,  the 
romance  of  unexpected  meetings,  and  the  daily  variety  for 
paterfamilias  of  seeking  the  quays,  and  inhaling  the  good 
odors  of  tar  and  cordage,  with  the  zest  always  possible  of 
encountering  a  comrade  just  landed  from  the  other  side  of 
the  globe. 

"  The  world  changes,  and  one  must  change  with  it,"  said 
Pere  Lacordaire. 

The  deep  sound  of  a  great  bell  in  the  silence  of  night ! 

The  musician  returned  to  the  pianoforte.  He  had  found 
a  clew.  He  no  longer  groped  through  the  phrases  of  Liszt's 
Italienischen  Wander-Album,  even  with  marvellous  and 
brilliant  technicalities  of  touch,  nor  improvised  on  the  obe- 
dient keys  of  the  instrument  harmonies,  which,  like  Ossian's 
music  of  Carryl,  breathed  of  the  memory  of  joys  that  are 
past.  The  echoes  do  not  float  over  the  fair  city,  enthroned 
on  her  amphitheatre  of  hills,  but  rise  from  the  steep  streets 
and  crowded  port  as  the  life  throbbings  of  her  heart.  First 
audible  in  1570,  the  bell  of  Genoa  rang  for  municipal  pomp 
rather  than  for  religious  rite.  The  full,  brazen  clang  sig- 
nified the  scheming  of  the  old  and  the  new  nobles,  eager 
to  enroll  their  names  in  the  Book  of  Gold,  and  not  the  irreg- 
ular pulsation  of  the  vesper  note,  the  curfew  fire-alarm,  the 
warning  of  the  passing  soul. 

At  that  hour  the  south  wind  brought  an  echo  from  the 
tower  of  St.  John  Lateran,  and  the  Duomo  of  Florence. 


THE  ECHO  OF  A  GREAT  BELL.  35 

while  the  north  wind  vibrated  with  the  fainter  intonation 
of  the  Geneva  Cathedral,  Notre  Dame  of  Paris,  or  the  Golden 
Dragon  of  the  Ghent  belfry.  The  voice  of  Rome  mourned 
over  the  sacking  and  destruction  wrought  by  the  troops  of 
the  Constable  de  Bourbon,  with  a  promise  of  restoration, 
and  the  famous  Bull  of  1567,  by  means  of  which  all  the 
} toweis  of  earth  were  to  become  attached  to  the  triumphal 
car  of  the  Papacy.  Florence  groaned  in  the  bondage  of  the 
Medici,  and  Paris  already  sighed  for  the  approaching  Mas- 
sacre of  St.  Bartholomew.  Geneva  had  struck  a  far  differ- 
ent note  in  confirmation  of  the  notable  fact  that  Montal- 
ciuo,  Bernardino  d'Ochino  of  Siena,  and  Lorenzo  Romano 
had  preached  the  new  doctrines  of  Luther  and  Zwingli. 

Measuring  the  strokes  of  Genoa's  bell,  not  by  the  swift 
current  of  years,  but  by  the  centuries,  the  pompous  tones 
rang  false,  even  sank  to  a  dirge  at  times.  Commerce  had 
declined,  owing  to  the  ties  existing  with  Spain,  and  the 
fleets  of  Barbary  corsairs  roving  the  main.  Old  Andrea 
Doria,  still  called  the  "  Preserver  of  the  liberties  of  the 
people,"  was  dead,  and  from  the  triple  slavery  served  to 
him,  Charles  V.,  and  the  Bank  of  St.  George,  the  fall  of 
the  Latin  principle  in  the  community  was  complete.  Cam- 
panula said  to  Genoa :  "  Leave  your  markets,  your  gains, 
your  barren  glories !  Blush  for  the  riches  of  your  citizens, 
which  contrast  so  terribly  with  the  misery  of  the  Republic." 
The  bell  rang  of  bondage  to  foreign  powers  ;  Italy  was 
ceasing  to  exist.  Rome,  Florence,  Geneva,  Paris,  and  Ghent, 
each  replied  in  their  own  fashion.  Humanity  was  awaken- 
ing to  new  phases  of  development.  Who  may  doubt  that 
to  the  mind  of  man  these  voices  of  the  great  bells  were 
symbolical  of  progress  ? 

When  Venice  was  united  to  Italy  in  1865  the  fair  rivals 
of  the  Mediterranean  and  the  Adriatic  for  centuries  ex- 
changed the  kiss  of  peace  thus  :  Genoa  presented  Venice 
with   busts   of    the    Admirals    Vettor   Pisani    and    Pietro 


36  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

Doria,  while  Venice  returned  the  portraits  of  Marco  Polo 
and  Columbus,  executed  in  the  glass  mosaic  of  Murano. 
Genoa,  storm-beaten,  humiliated,  shorn  of  her  glories  by 
Louis  XIV.  and  the  Austrian  invasion,  rose  purified  by 
her  sufferings.  The  great  bell  burst  into  such  a  tumult 
of  acclamation  in  a  climax  of  national  pride  that  it  broke 
in  excess  of  joy  as  the  King  Victor  Emanuel  embarked  at 
Genoa  for  Leghorn  to  visit  Tuscany. 

"  Italy  shall  be  free  from  the  Alps  to  the  Adriatic,"  pro- 
claimed the  bell,  and  was  suddenly  mute,  paralyzed  at  the 
supreme  moment  of  triumph. 

The  deep  sound  of  a  great  bell  in  the  silence  of  night. 
Is  it  the  soul  of  the  musician  or  of  the  bell  that  speaks  ? 

"  I  will  ring  once  again  in  honor  of  the  greatest  of  my 
sons,  for  true  it  is  thai  genius  is  seldom  born  to  a  throne, 
but  rather  rises  from  the  ranks  of  the  people.  Columbus 
had  his  cradle  in  yonder  suburb  of  Cogoletto  in  1435,  and 
his  father,  Domcnico  Colombo,  representing  the  conserva- 
tive, stay-at-home  element  of  such  republics,  was  a  weaver 
of  cloth.  Oh,  historians  of  many  nationalities  and  divers 
creeds,  gainsay  me  who  may !  The  boy  went  forth  from 
this  home  to  seek  education  at  Pavia ;  the  youth  shipped 
on  board  the  galleons  at  war  with  Mediterranean  corsairs; 
the  man  departed  for  Spain,  and  fulfilled  a  unique  destiny. 
He  died  on  Ascension  Day,  1506,  and  the  irons  with  which 
he  had  been  fettered  were  placed  in  his  coffin.  Oh,  culmi- 
nation of  human  ingratitude  !  " 

"  Quand  brise  par  la  haine,  et  souille  par  l'envie, 
Sur  sa  couche  Colombe  s'etendit  pour  mourir, 
Ses  yeux,  deja  couverts  d'un  voile  d'agonie, 
Parurent  un  instant  dans  l'ombre  resplendir. 

Avait-il,  en  quittant  la  plage  de  la  vie, 
Vu  la-haut,  tout  la-baut,  s'approcbir  et  grandir, 
Un  Nouveau  Monde  encore,  a  la  rive  infinie 
Qu'en  1'Ocean  du  Ciel  il  allait  decouvrir  ?  " 


Equestrian  Statue  of  Victor  Emmanuel  11. 
Pia^a  Corvetto. 


- 

'     -  - 

— 


THE  ECHO  OF  A  GREAT  BELL.  37 

The  reader  removed  his  spectacles  and  put  aside  the 
journal,  as  the  musician  ceased  to  improvise  on  the  piano- 
forte. "  May  the  great  bell  of  Genoa  be  heard  around  the 
globe,  when  it  rings  again,  and  we  Americans  prove  our- 
selves worthy  of  our  glorious  birthright ! "  exclaimed  the 
old  captain. 

In  the  adjacent  Piazza  the  shadows  deepened,  and  the 
lights  waned  about  the  marble  Columbus,  while  the  night 
wind  stripped  the  roses  of  their  petals  at  the  base  of  the 
pedestal,  and  shed  them  on  the  pavement.  Heavy  masses 
of  cloud  swept  across  the  sky,  and  the  invisible  sea  made  a 
moaning,  monotonous  sound  that  filled  all  the  hollow  voids 
of  silence.  Far  more  than  the  silvery  radiance  of  the  full 
moon  shining  on  the  statue,  which  might  be  accepted  as 
Genoa's  enshrining  the  memory  of  Columbus  in  the  clearer 
estimation  of  posterity,  the  stormy  midnight  resembled  the 
career  of  the  navigator,  with  tempests  of  trouble,  sorrow, 
and  humiliation  gathering  over  his  head,  and  that  steady, 
relentless  beating  of  the  sea  of  destiny  sounding  in  his  ear, 
and  leading  him  forward  to  the  goal. 

To  the  musician,  pausing  once  more  at  the  open  case- 
ment, in  that  mingling  of  the  dirge-like  cadences  of  the 
heaving  waters  with  the  shriller  and  more  vibrating  note 
of  the  wind  through  the  branches  of  the  trees,  the  host  of 
Genoese  of  centuries  seemed  to  emerge  from  crypt  and 
vault  of  dark  churches,  where  they  had  long  lain  in  state, 
and  press  in  shadowy  ranks  around  the  pedestal  on  which 
stood  the  weaver's  son,  with  his  gaze  turned  to  a  distant 
hemisphere.  Earliest  navigators,  crusaders,  valiant  war- 
riors commanding  the  fleets  to  oppose  Pisa  and  Venice, 
and  haughty  nobles,  contented  to  play  the  game  of  political 
intrigues  at  home,  in  the  interests  of  German,  French,  or 
Spanish  prince,  questioned  the  supremacy  of  Columbus,  — 
strove,  however  dumbly  and  ineffectually,  hovering  on  that 
bloodless  and  voiceless  boundary  of  death,  devoid  of  rival- 


38  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

ries  and  jealousies,  to  understand  his  mission  on  earth. 
Only  some  trick  of  the  night  wind  playing  with  the  imagi- 
nation, like  an  Eolian  harp !  The  musician  turned  away, 
wondering  if  Columbus  had  not  been  a  Genoese  would  he 
have  ever  discovered  the  New  World  ? 


CHAPTER   TV. 

IN   A   DESERTED   SANCTUARY. 

THE  hills  above  Genoa  have  served  an  important  ele- 
ment in  the  rise  and  development  of  the  city ;  and 
yet  the  infant  colony  of  this  nook  of  the  shore  was  slow  to 
recognize  the  resources  lying  beyond  the  rocky  barrier  in- 
land, or  the  dangers  threatening  from  invasion  by  adven- 
turous armies.  One  of  the  most  interesting  and  remarkable 
phases  of  history  is  afforded  by  the  early  Genoese  gazing 
eagerly  seaward,  as  Columbus  contemplates  distant  lands 
on  his  marble  pedestal,  scanning  the  horizon  for  fresh 
fields  of  enterprise  in  the  far  East,  and  evincing  an  un- 
tiring energy,  courage,  and  intelligence  in  planting  colonies 
and  establishing  amicable  or  rival  claims  with  other  States 
in  fulfilment  of  this  aim. 

Ferdinando  Galiani  drew  the  contrast  between  different 
countries  thus :  France,  Spain,  and  portions  of  Italy  were 
fertile  expanses  of  territory,  requiring  little  money  to  live 
happily  amidst  the  abundant  gifts  of  Nature,  while  other 
nations  found  their  barriers  of  Alps  or  sterile  plains  re- 
stricted,—  such  as  Genoa,  the  Dutch,  and  the  Venetians 
inhabiting  the  marshy  Adriatic  lagoons.  The  niggardly 
earth  denying  these  last  races  all  benefits  at  home,  they 
became  the  merchants  and  shopkeepers  of  the  universe, 
and  thus  conquered  the  larger  kingdoms.  The  republics 
prudently  sought  every  means  of  acquiring  wealth  which 
represented  to  them  the  acquisition  of  lands. 


40  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

Possibly  the  line  of  walls  in  the  form  of  double  fortifica- 
tions, the  first  enclosing  Genoa  in  an  area  of  seven  miles, 
and  the  second  trending  away  over  the  slopes  for  twenty 
miles,  broken  by  small  towers  and  intrenchments,  best 
represents  the  slothful,  stay-at-home  element  developed  by 
a  later  civilization. 

On  a  warm  September  day  a  Franciscan  monk  toils  up 
the  hill  above  the  town.  He  wears  the  brown  robe,  the 
scanty  cape  and  hood  on  the  shoulders,  the  girdle  of 
knotted  cord,  and  the  wooden  sandal  (zoccolo), —  the  cos- 
tume which  replaced  the  gray  garments  of  the  first  two 
centuries  of  the  order.  He  is  fulfilling  some  duty  to  coun- 
try church  or  hospital,  or  returning  to  the  monastery  to 
which  he  belongs.  This  solitary  brown  figure,  traversing 
the  dusty  highway,  affords  a  keynote  to  the  existence 
of  the  city,  the  heights  beyond  the  boundary  wall,  and 
the  wide  expanse  of  country  stretching  to  the  interior. 
The  Franciscan  is  eminently  suggestive  of  all  the  centu- 
ries that  have  elapsed  since  Genoa  became  converted  to 
Christianity. 

Vestiges  of  the  ancient  monasteries  of  Liguria  are  visi- 
ble on  the  crest  of  hills,  and  the  islands  and  inlets  of  the 
shore.  These  relics  of  former  power  and  opulence,  now 
shadowy,  for  the  most  part,  whether  mere  crumbling  shell 
of  melancholy  ruins,  where  the  snow-wind  from  the  Col  di 
Tenda  blows  through  the  empty  casements,  or  the  waves 
fret  about  the  still  solid  masonry  of  refectory  and  cloister 
tenanted  by  a  band  of  silent  brothers,  are  rich  in  the 
closely  interwoven  associations  of  Europe  and  the  East. 
The  Badia  of  Tilcto  rose  above  Varagine,  the  monastery 
on  the  Island  of  Gallinara  near  Albenga,  while  eastward 
was  the  Abbey  of  Palmaria,  —  where  Pope  Silverius  is  re- 
puted to  have  died  in  exile,  —  San  Fruttuoso  on  the  Cape 
of  Portofino,  and  Bruguato  on  the  heights.  San  Andrea  di 
Sestri,  of  grim  fame,  confronts  the  day,  —  the  balmy  retreat 


IN  A   DESERTED  SANCTUARY.  41 

where  Pope  Innocent  IV.  was  taken  to  recover  from  illness 
contracted  in  the  town,  and  where  the  office  of  the  Inqui- 
sition was  established.  Farther  on,  the  ranks  of  churches 
and  sanctuaries  extend,  each  with  its  history  of  wars  and 
prosperous  calm.  The  famous  Isle  de  Lerins  is  still  laved 
by  the  sea  at  Cannes,  the  vigorous  alpestrine  population  of 
San  Martino  a  Lantosca,  in  the  Maritime  Alps,  subsisting 
chieflv  on  their  own  chestnut  harvests,  keep  with  pious  care 
the  ch;ii. els  dedicated  to  the  Archangel  Michael.  Our  Lady 
of  the  Windows  is  perpetually  covered  with  snow  in  the 
cloudy  distance  of  upper  peaks,  forming  links  in  the  chain 
of  Lombard)7,  Piedmont,  and  Provence. 

Three  successive  waves  of  momentous  influence  swept 
over  the  Mediterranean  shore,  as  elsewhere.  Roman  power 
spread  the  corruption  of  a  degenerate  morality  ;  then  the 
stein  virtues  of  the  young  Gothic  nation  overwhelmed  the 
ancient  race,  only  to  sink  beneath  sapping  contamination, 
and  the  monks  of  the  East  rose  to  redeem  the  entire  masses 
with  the  leaven  of  Christianity.  It  is  the  boast  of  Catholic 
historians  that  for  ten  centuries  the  monks  formed  the 
bulwark  of  society  by  prayer  and  vigil,  while  for  five  cen- 
turies legions  of  holy  men  labored  valiantly  to  convert 
twenty  heathen  races  to  the  purer  faith.  Thus  in  the  most 
ancient  French  provinces  abbeys,  chapters,  convents,  and 
hermitages  sprang  up,  and  no  town  was  without  churches, 
as  no  forest  or  mountain-top  without  these  zealous  workers. 
Rome  utilized  the  sinews  of  enslaved  peoples  to  strengthen 
or  embellish  her  empire  and  provinces  with  palace,  temple, 
and  aqueduct ;  the  monks  and  hermits,  without  roads,  ca- 
nals, machinery,  arms,  or  treasure,  built  great  edifices, 
often  in  inaccessible  situations,  cultivated  the  desert  wastes, 
and  planted  their  standard  in  the  depths  of  the  woods, 
taming  alike  savage  tribes  and  wild  animals  driven  from 
their  lairs.  To  this  day  the  sites  chosen  and  held  by  them 
with  so  much  courage  and  patience  bear  evidence  of  their 


42  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

superior  artistic  taste  for  the  beautiful  and  durable.  From 
the  Oriental  anchorites  that  spread  to  Greece,  Italy,  and 
Gaul  in  the  fourth  and  fifth  centuries,  and  the  ascetics 
dwelling  in  the  hollows  of  trees  or  the  recesses  of  rocks, 
developed  the  great  communities  that  spread  their  influence 
over  Europe.  Invading  the  mysterious  gloom  of  Druidical 
forests,  haunted  by  the  imaginary  terrors  of  superstition, 
the  monks  hewed  clearings  for  sanctuaries,  hamlets,  and 
villages,  planted  vineyards,  tilled  the  ground  for  the  har- 
vest, and  stored  the  honey  of  their  own  hives,  partly  for 
the  wax  to  make  their  tablets.  The  plough  used  by  the 
Abbe  Theodulphe  during  a  term  of  twenty-two  years  was 
finally  suspended  in  a  church  near  Rheims  as  a  precious 
relic  of  pious  industry.  Romain  of  Lyons  founded  the 
retreat  of  Condat  in  the  Jura  mountains,  in  the  year  425. 
He  dwelt  under  an  enormous  pine-tree,  sheltered  by  the 
wide-spreading  branches,  even  as  the  Cenobite  erected  a 
tent  in  the  desert.  He  was  soon  joined  by  his  brother 
Lupicin,  and  a  band  of  disciples  ;  and  a  convent  for  women, 
prepared  to  practise  the  utmost  austerity  of  life,  was  built 
among  the  rocks  across  the  chasm,  like  the  nest  of  a  swal- 
low clinging  to  the  cliff.  The  brother  Lupicin  always 
slept  in  the  trunk  of  a  tree. 

One  of  the  most  curious  and  interesting  phases  of  the 
missionary  movement  of  that  time  to  humanize  heathen 
tribes  was  the  issuing  forth  of  English  and  Irish  monks  on 
the  Continent,  imbued  with  a  fiery  zeal  to  evangelize 
Northern  France,  Belgium,  Switzerland,  and  Bavaria. 
The  celebrated  Boniface  converted  Thuringia  in  716,  and 
felled  the  oak  of  Thor  in  the  woods  of  Hesse.  These 
spiritual  pioneers  were  followed  by  holy  women,  widows, 
maidens,  and  relatives.  Lioba  the  poetess  became  Abbess 
of  Bischofshcim,  Chindrad  sought  Bavaria,  and  Chriemhild 
and  Berathgilt  dwelt  in  Thuringia.  These  valiant  com- 
batants of  the  Scandinavian  deities  Woden  and  Freya  in  the 


IN   A   DESERTED   SANCTUARY.  43 

clouded  northern  lands  scarcely  possess  the  charm,  in 
retrospection,  of  the  Celtic  holy  men,  who  as  hermits, 
"  new  fathers  of  the  desert,"  advanced  to  the  boundaries 
of  old  Rome,  lapsed  into  a  wilderness,  rifled  the  marbles 
of  the  ruined  temples  of  the  gods  to  build  churches,  and 
broke  the  gilded  images  of  the  shrines. 

In  the  year  G13  the  Irishman  Columban  founded  the 
Monastery  of  Bobbio,  at  a  spot  secluded  and  savage,  above 
La  Trebia,  between  the  mountains  of  Genoa  and  Piacenza, 
with  a  hospital  attached.  The  smaller  Badia  of  San 
Niccolo  del  Boschetto  at  Feggino  in  the  Yal  di  Polcevera 
also  observed  the  strict  rule  of  Columban. 

Saint  Columban  rose  on  the  wave  of  Irish  religious 
fervor  to  christianize  Europe, —  an  influence  that  did  not 
extend  beyond  the  seventh  century,  yet  bore  abundant 
fruit  of  undaunted  bravery,  fiery  eloquence,  and  fervent 
conviction.  The  builder  of  the  monastery  back  among  the 
hills  encircling  Genoa  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
figures  on  the  great  historical  canvas  of  his  day.  It  has 
been  said  that  the  Continent  gave  Saint  Patrick  to  Ireland, 
and  received  Saint  Columban  in  exchange.  Born  in  the 
North,  tradition  affirms  that  Columban  possessed  marked 
beauty  of  face  in  his  youth.  He  put  aside  maternal 
affection  kneeling  on  the  threshold  of  home  to  oppose  his 
aims,  escaped  from  Bangor,  with  twelve  companion  monks, 
traversed  Great  Britain,  and  embarked  for  Gaul.  Burgundy 
had  been  conquered  by  the  sons  of  Clovis,  and  the  State  re- 
constructed by  his  grandson  Gontran.  The  latter  received 
Columban  kindly,  and  bestowed  upon  him  the  site  in  the 
north  of  the  province  where  the  famous  monastery  of 
Luxeuil  was  subsequently  erected.  The  strangers  dwelt 
in  the  ancient  Roman  chateau  d'  Aunegray,  as  a  first 
lodging,  and  subsisted  on  such  frugal  fare  as  the  herbs 
of  the  field,  the  bark  of  trees,  and  myrtle  berries.  Es- 
tablished at  Luxeuil,   at  the  base  of  the   Vosges,   where 


44  GENOA   THE   SUPERB. 

the  Romans  had  frequented  mineral  springs  and  the 
Gauls  still  worshipped  idols  in  the  forests,  the  Irish  saint 
is  reputed  to  have  triumphed  over  two  civilizations  in  their 
decadence.  Later  he  incurred  the  displeasure  of  the 
Queen-mother  Brunehault,  by  rebuking  the  sinful  course 
of  the  young  king  Thierry,  and  even  prophesying  the  ex- 
tinction of  the  Merovingian  race.  A  royal  decree  ordered 
his  expulsion  from  Luxeuil ;  he  refused  to  go,  and  the  king 
became  humble  and  conciliatory  in  mediation.  The  holy 
man  was  urged  to  return  to  his  own  country.  He  firmly 
declined  compliance.  Then  a  sort  of  blockade  was  es- 
tablished around  the  abbey.  The  soldiers  besought  him 
to  depart,  as  they  must  respond  with  their  lives  for  en- 
forcing the  measure.  He  consented.  His  sanctity  was 
ever  respected  among  the  Gallo-Francs. 

In  exile  his  journey  was  full  of  interest,  as  gathered 
by  his  disciples.  He  wandered  for  twenty  years,  performed 
many  miracles,  and  his  fame  increased.  He  went  to 
Besancon,  Autun,  Avallon,  Nevers,  and  embarked  on  the 
Loire.  At  Tours  he  wished  to  pray  at  the  tomb  of  Saint 
Martin,  and  quitting  French  soil  at  Nantes,  sought  May- 
ence,  thence  descending  the  course  of  the  Rhine  to  Zurich, 
Zug,  and  Bregenz,  where  the  ardent  Celt  Gall  was  working 
with  astonishing  intrepidity,  demolishing  idols,  and  ex- 
orcising the  demons  ruling  the  mountain  lakes  to  prevent 
the  inhabitants  from  casting  their  nets  for  the  fish  on 
which  they  so  la'rgely  subsisted.  When  Columban  pre- 
pared to  leave  Switzerland  for  Italy,  Saint  Gall,  smitten 
with  fever,  remained  in  the  mountain  realm  to  found 
his  Monastery  of  St.  Gall  in  the  middle  of  Lake  Constance. 
Colomban  crossed  the  Alps,  accompanied  by  a  single 
disciple  Athale,  and  was  welcomed  benevolently  at  Milan 
by  the  Lombard  King  Agilulfe,  and  Queen  Theolinde. 
Agilulfe  gave  the  monk  the  territory  of  Bobbio,  a  solitude 
situated  in  a  gorge  of  the  Apennines  between  Milan  and 


IN   A   DESERTED  SANCTUARY.  45 

Genoa,  near  the  border  of  La  Trebia,  where  Hannibal 
encamped  when  he  vanquished  the  Roman  hosts.  An  old 
church,  dedicated  to  Saint  Peter,  occupied  the  spot,  and 
Columban  piously  repaired  the  sacred  edifice.  Then  this 
wonderful  man  began  to  build  his  last  great  work,  the 
Abbey  of  Bobbio,  a  bulwark  against  the  schism  of  Arianisni, 
and  a  hearthstone  of  science  and  religious  zeal  to  light  all 
northern  Italy.  No  longer  in  his  vigorous  prime  of  man- 
hood, Columban  assisted  the  laborers,  even  carrying  pine- 
trees  from  the  hills  on  his  own  shoulders.  The  school  and 
library  of  Bobbio  were  among  the  most  renowned  of  the 
Middle  Ages.  In  the  tenth  century  the  latter  treasured 
seven  hundred  manuscripts.  The  palimpsests,  De  Repub- 
lica  of  Cicero,  which  furnished  the  materials  used  by  Car- 
dinal Mai,  were  found  here.  In  1803,  the  monastery  was 
suppressed  under  French  rule. 

Saint  Columban  did  not  lapse  into  idleness.  He  pur- 
sued his  studies,  and  even  wrote  classical  verses  to  his 
friends  on  the  Golden  Fleece,  and  kindred  subjects.  He 
addressed  a  letter  to  Pope  Boniface  IV.  in  the  name  of 
King  Agilulfe,  on  the  Arian  heresy.  This  epistle  has  been 
criticised  as  lacking  depth  of  mature  judgment.  Saint 
Columban  was  the  enterprising  missionary  rather  than  the 
venerable  Bede,  absorbed  in  the  pursuit  of  profound  studies 
at  home,  or  the  poetical  Celtic  monk  Saint  Colombo  of 
Iona.  Ultimately,  Columban  quitted  Bobbio  to  seek  the 
solitude  of  La  Trebia,  and  a  cavern  in  the  rock,  which  he 
transformed  into  a  chapel  of  the  Virgin,  and  where  he 
died.  The  spot  was  long  venerated  as  a  sanctuary,  and 
the  afflicted  nocked  here  to  pray.  The  Italian  monks  in 
the  community  of  Bobbio  ultimately  rebelled  as  unable  to 
bear  the  austerities  of  the  rule  established  by  the  founder. 
Another  notable  phase  of  character  in  this  powerful  nature 
was  the  trait  that  he  made  enemies  in  the  Roman  faith  by 
celebrating  Easter,   according  to  the  Irish  usage,  on  the 


46  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

fourteenth  day  of  the  month,  when  the  date  fell  on  a 
Sunday,  instead  of  on  the  Sunday  after  the  fourteenth. 

Does  not  that  monastery  of  Bobbio  back  among  the  hills 
of  Genoa  still  breathe  an  atmosphere  of  misty  tradition, 
recalling  Saint  Columban  in  his  youth,  carrying  a  heavy 
volume  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  on  his  shoulders,  on  saints' 
days,  and  seeking  the  forest  recesses  wherein  to  read  aloud 
the  sacred  word,  while  the  people  regarded  the  parchment 
leaves  of  the  book  with  awe,  and  imagined  they  heard  re- 
sponsive spirit-voices  in  the  ripple  of  the  brooks  and  the 
swaying  of  the  leaves  ?  Does  not  the  picture  glow  in  the 
mind  of  his  launching  fearlessly  on  the  lakes  of  Switzer- 
land, in  company  with  Saint  Gall,  undismayed  by  the 
threatening  growlings  of  the  monsters  ruling  the  spot,  and 
possibly  discerning  the  utterances  of  Nature  in  the  rever- 
berations of  thunder,  the  brooding  of  impending  tempests, 
and  the  hollow  roar  or  sharp  vibrations  of  downward- 
sweeping  avalanche,  veiled  in  the  twilight  of  the  opposite 
cliffs? 

Was  Columban  a  botanist  ?  He  is  reputed  to  have  dis- 
covered a  vegetable  growing  in  the  rocky  clefts  of  the 
Apennines,  which  did  not  spring  up  every  year.  The 
flavor  of  this  gift  of  Nature  was  so  delicious  that  it  was 
sent  to  princes  and  kings  as  a  present  in  the  name  of  pro 
benedectine  San  Columbani.  Was  the  plant  of  the  arti- 
choke family,  the  onion  and  garlic  tribe,  or  the  mysterious 
fungus  race  ?  Does  it  still  find  its  way  down  the  hills  to 
the  Genoa  market,  to  tempt  thrifty  housewives  early  abroad 
in  the  care  of  the  domestic  larder  ? 

Inseparably  associated  with  the  early  monks  are  all 
those  quaint  legends  of  animals,  which  remind  one  of  the 
influence  of  Buddha  on  the  doves,  the  quail,  the  myna  of 
the  Ganges  valley.  Thus  the  squirrels  of  the  Vosges  hid 
in  the  robe  of  Saint  Columban,  and  the  wolves  brushed 
his  garments.     The  Frankish  monk,  Corbinieu,  who  founded 


W  A   DESERTED   SANCTUARY.  47 

Freysingen,  had  his  horse  eaten  by  a  bear  in  crossing  the 
Tyrol,  and  compelled  the  beast  to  carry  the  carcass  to 
Rome.  Saint  Malo,  in  the  solitude  of  Saintonge,  com- 
manded the  wolf  that  devoured  his  ass  to  carry  panniers 
of  wood.  The'gonnec,  the  Breton,  trained  a  wolf  to  draw 
the  materials  requisite  to  build  a  church.  In  the  year 
1324  the  wolves  were  so  numerous  in  the  valleys  of  the 
Polcevera  and  of  the  Bisagno  that  they  pressed  down  even 
to  the  city  walls.  In  1345,  a  wolf  entered  the  San  Giorgio 
Gate  of  Florence,  and  boldly  descended  the  hill  to  the  Arno 
bank,  where  he  was  slain.  The  stranger  in  Italy  may  still 
occasionally  read  the  advertisement  in  a  local  journal  for 
wolf  cubs  to  be  brought  to  a  fashionable  hotel  for  purchase 
by  a  traveller.  Who  rears  wolves  in  a  famine-stricken 
world  ?  The  wolf  becomes  a  classical  animal,  haunting  the 
walls  of  Genoa,  or  Florence  from  vicinity,  to  the  Campagna, 
and  the  oldest  sanctuary  of  kingly  Rome,  the  Lupercal,  a 
grotto  consecrated  to  Fauns,  called  Lupercas,  Driver  Away  of 
wolves,  and  Protector  of  herds,  by  the  shepherd  emigrants 
from  Alba. 

At  a  bend  of  the  road  our  Franciscan  monk  disappears. 
Has  he  reached  the  end  of  his  hot  and  weary  pilgrimage  by 
means  of  some  narrow  portal  in  a  massive  wall  enclosing  a 
vineyard?  Has  he  chosen  a  secluded  path  familiar  to  him- 
self wending  amidst  the  olive-trees  of  the  ridge  ?  Is  he 
merely  a  phantom  friar  returning  at  the  hour  of  a  favorite 
festa,  or  keeping  an  enforced  vigil  in  the  field  of  his  earthly 
penance  ? 

On  the  left  hand  is  a  chapel,  apparently  disused  and 
deserted,  unless  in  connection  with  a  mortuary  chamber 
beyond  the  sacristy,  with  its  grated  casement,  and  faintly 
gleaming  tapers  on  the  altar.  Let  us  seat  ourselves  on  the 
steps.  Genoa,  the  harbor,  and  the  limpid  sea  are  visible 
in  the  distance.  A  chill  breath  of  air,  as  of  the  charnel 
house,  is  wafted  from  the  mortuary  chamber  occasionally, 


48  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

and  mingles  with  the  fragrance  of  flowers.  The  shadow  of 
the  humble  building  cast  on  the  ground  is  sharply  defined, 
and  especially  grateful  to  a  pedestrian  in  contrast  with  the 
dazzling,  all  pervading  sunshine  of  the  day.  The  stranger 
from  northern  countries  never  values  the  true  contrasl 
isting  between  light  and  shade  until  he  visits  Provenc< 
notes  the  outline  of  root  and  wall  on  the  sultry  streets 
and  squares  of  Marseilles.  Blissful  is  the  relief  to  brain 
and  eyes  of  coolness  and  comparative  obscurity,  after  en- 
during the  glare  of  unwinking  noon!  Here  on  the  steps 
of  the  deserted  chapel  revery  asserts  full  sway  over  the 
musing  mind. 

The  day  is  steeped  in  the  haze  of  summer  merging  into 
autumn,  a  distinct  bloom  of  atmosphere  over  hill  and  valley, 
like  the  ruddy  tints  of  a  peach,  mingled  with  the  yellow  hues 
of  dust  and  golden  sunshine,  while  the  purple  clusters  of 
ripening  grapes  glimmer  richly  amidst  the  shrivelled  leaves 
of  the  vineyards.  A  fair  land  of  abundance  extends  be- 
yond the  opening  valleys,  woods,  and  rocks,  with  the  city 
and  the  sea  sparkling  below.  In  their  season  chestnut,  oak, 
and  willow  trees  have  budded ;  almond,  peach,  and  cherry 
have  bloomed  in  clouds  of  rosy  and  snowy  blossoms  with 
the  springtime ;  cowslips  and  daffodils  have  spread  waves 
of  yellow  flowers  along  the  meadow  slopes ;  grain  has 
ripened,  and  the  hay  been  gathered  in  more  than  one  crop 
in  the  midsummer  heat.  Now  the  markets  of  the  town  are 
replenished  with  hoards  of  green  figs  and  grapes,  fresh 
walnuts,  purple  egg-plant,  scarlet  and  orange  peppers,  and 
the  homely  bean.  Later,  the  chestnuts  will  be  garnered, 
and  ground  to  flour,  as  the  cherries  have  already  been 
dried,  and  the  ears  of  Indian  maize  strung  beneath  the 
eaves  of  the  farmhouse.  A  scent  of  tomatoes  is  in  the 
air,  as  if  all  the  rural  matrons  of  Italy  were  revelling  in 
national  modes  of  preserving  the  wholesome  vegetable  to 
flavor  the  domestic  soup  of  winter,  whether  cut  in  halves, 


IN   A   DESERTED   SANCTUARY.  49 

and  spread  on  boards  to  dry  in  the  sun,  or  simmered  over 
the  kitchen  fire  in  caldrons,  with  the  addition  of  large 
quantities  of  salt,  and  a  subsequent  slow  process  of  strain- 
ing through  coarse  linen  cloths  tied  between  a  couple  of 
rush-bottomed  chairs,  with  vessels  of  green  mottled  earthen- 
ware placed  beneath  on  the  brick  floor,  and  a  final  knead- 
ing of  pulp  into  the  consistency  of  a  cake,  or  ball,  for 
conservation. 

Yesterday  was  the  festival  of  the  eighth  of  September. 
Light-hearted  Naples  has  once  more  composed  fresh  son- 
nets in  honor  of  the  Piedigrotta  festa,  and  feasted  at  every 
booth  of  the  city  streets  far  into  the  night  on  figs,  snails, 
and  pomegranates,  undeterred  by  possible  pestilence  ensu- 
ing. The  miraculous  Madonna  of  Montenero  has  attracted 
a  throng  of  devout  pilgrims  to  Leghorn,  coining  by  dusty 
highways  in  primitive  vehicles,  and  by  sailing-craft  along 
the  shore  from  Bocca  d'Arno,  and  Viareggio.  At  Florence 
the  Nativity  of  the  Virgin  has  been  celebrated  in  many 
churches  as  the  day  when  the  siege  of  Vienna  by  the 
Turks  was  raised,  although  the  Fair  once  held  in  the  Via 
de'  Servi  on  the  previous  evening  no  longer  attracts  the 
mountaineers  to  expose  on  the  steps  of  the  loggie  the  thread 
of  their  own  spinning,  linen,  pottery,  and  dried  mushrooms 
for  sale.  Now,  if  ever,  the  famous  Madonna  dell'  Impru- 
neta  should  reward  her  worshippers  by  some  especial  mark 
of  grace,  as  she  has  done  for  centuries  in  fire,  flood,  and 
plague. 

And  our  deserted  sanctuary  of  the  heights  above  Genoa, 
with  the  mountains  rising  in  delicate  outline  toward  the 
sky,  the  slopes  of  Nervi  and  Recco  dipping  to  wave-washed 
rocks  in  one  direction,  and  the  shores  of  Voltri,  Albissola, 
and  Savona,  with  the  Cape  of  Noli  visible  in  the  other— was 
it  once  the  shrine  of  some  favorite  saint  ?  The  little  bell 
suspended  in  the  belfry  must  surely  give  forth  a  cracked 
note;  the  artificial  flowers  in  a  china  vase  on  the  altar  of 

4 


50  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

the  mortuary  chamber  are  faded  and  dishevelled  ;  white- 
wash has  been  vigorously  applied  to  the  interior  from  time 
to  time,  and  yet  the  flakes  have  peeled  off,  revealing  clouded 
outlines  of  earlier  frescoes.  The  very  obscurity  of  these 
details  in  an  unpretending,  wayside  church,  dilapidated  and 
nearly  disused,  are  attractive  on  the  September  day,  full 
of  languid  warmth,  and  the  under  current  of  autumnal 
vitality  pulsing  in  every  root,  branch,  and  leaf.  No  golden 
letters  emblazoned  on  the  portico,  as  on  the  fagade  of  the 
cathedral  of  the  city,  proclaims  a  dedication  of  the  sanc- 
tuary ;  and  the  loiterer  is  at  liberty  to  rebuild  the  crumbling 
edifice,  recalling  the  shadow  of  vanished  lives  that  have 
frequented  the  spot,  even  as  Cuvier  constructed  an  entire 
animal  out  of  the  fragment  of  a  thorax,  an  occiput,  or  a 
pelvis.  Was  the  chapel  of  the  roadside  built  in  honor  of 
Saints  Nazaro  and  Celso,  the  missionaries  who  first  converted 
Genoa  ?  The  legend  of  San  Nazaro  and  his  youthful  dis- 
ciple is  eminently  picturesque,  and  in  harmony  with  the 
scene  outspread  before  us.  These  early  Christians  suf- 
fered persecution  under  Nero,  who  ordered  them  to  be 
thrown  into  the  sea  from  a  ship,  when  such  a  tempest  arose 
that  the  sailors  feared  to  be  wrecked,  and  the  saints  re- 
turned to  them  walking  calmly  on  the  water,  thus  allaying 
the  storm.  The  mariners  were  converted,  and  the  craft 
reached  pagan  Genoa,  where  Nazaro  and  the  youthful  Celso 
landed,  baptizing  and  preaching  day  and  night,  and  grant- 
ing the  remission  of  sins.  They  also  paused  in  a  boat  at 
six  hundred  feet  from  the  town,  and  preached  a  marvellous 
new  doctrine  to  attentive  multitudes  gathered  to  listen. 
The  spot  where  the  missionaries  landed  is  of  doubtful 
authenticity.  According  to  one  tradition  they  first  stepped 
ashore  near  the  Gate  of  the  Arches,  where  an  oratory  was 
erected  in  the  name  of  the  holy  pilgrims.  Other  chroni- 
clers maintain  that  the  memorable  locality  was  the  site  of 
the  Church  of  San  Nazaro  at  Albaro,  where  a  marble  slab 


IN  A  DESERTED  SANCTUARY.  51 

in  the  campanile  is  inscribed  with  the  words,  "  Intra  con- 
septum  maceria  locus  deis  manibus  consecratus."  The  writ- 
ing is  estimated  as  of  great  antiquity,  and  the  common 
belief  obtains  that  this  is  the  first  church  in  which  Mass 
was  celebrated  publicly,  not  only  in  the  diocese  of  Genoa, 
but  in  all  Italy.  Master  and  pupil  were  beheaded  at 
Milan,  where  the  church  of  San  Nazaro  Maggiore  com- 
memorates the  martyrdom.  A  Byzantine  church  at  Ravenna 
is  dedicated  to  them. 

The  chapel  may  have  even  earlier  associations  enshrined 
in  the  very  foundation  stones,  the  Bible  stories  of  patriarch, 
psalmist,  and  warrior,  —  the  beloved  disciple  plunged  in  the 
bath  of  hot  oil  by  order  of  Domitian,  and  emerging  re- 
freshed, to  be  banished  to  Patmos,  with  numerous  churches 
built  in  his  name  as  Saint  John  before  the  Latin  Gate  ;  all 
those  ranks  of  martyrs,  who  from  the  date  of  Nero's  per- 
secution refused  to  conform  to  public  opinion  by  casting 
a  few  grains  of  incense  on  the  altars  of  the  gods ;  Saint 
Ambrose  of  Milan,  whose  influence,  as  shepherd  of  the 
flocks  of  Christ,  has  been  compared  with  a  river  flowing 
through  a  city,  refreshing  and  purifying  by  its  waters  ;  or 
Saint  Augustine,  likened  to  a  lake  reflecting  the  world 
about  him  in  wind  and  storm.  Possibly  no  portion  of 
Europe  presents  the  elements  of  Eastern  and  Western  life 
more  curiously  blended  than  Genoa.  Devout,  and  imbued 
with  all  the  superstition  of  the  sailor,  she  brought  to  her 
walls  the  relics  of  Asia  Minor,  Egypt,  and  Greece,  chiefly 
obtained  by  the  conquests  of  the  Crusades,  and  in  active 
rivalry  with  Venice  and  Pisa,  for  worship  as  well  as  rever- 
encing the  bright  luminaries  of  the  Latin  Church.  Our 
chapel  may  have  been  consecrated  to  Saint  Cyprian,  Bishop 
of  Carthage,  whose  lines  were  cast  in  pleasant  places  as 
the  owner  of  lands  and  gardens  on  the  rich  African  shore 
before  he  became  a  Christian.  Saint  Cyprian  of  blessed 
memory !     His  life  reveals,  even  from  an  historical  point 


52  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

of  view,  that  men  arise  on  the  earth  fashioned  in  the  image 
of  their  Creator,  in  all  lands  and  ages,  irrespective  of  creeds, 
for  the  heathen  African  gentleman  never  sent  away  the 
widow  empty  handed  from  his  door,  or  repulsed  the  poor. 
His  words  recur  to  memory  on  the  September  day  :  "  This 
vintage  festival  invites  the  mind  to  unbend  in  repose."  In 
the  lights  and  shadows  playing  over  the  city  roofs  and 
towers  below  some  fragments  of  the  good  man's  doubts  and 
fears  seem  to  cling  to  the  mass  of  humanity.     He  says  : 

"While  I  was  still  lying  in  darkness  and  gloomy  night,  wav- 
ering hither  and  thither,  tossed  about  on  the  foam  of  this 
boastful  age,  and  uncertain  of  my  wandering  steps,  knowing 
nothing  of  my  real  life,  and  remote  from  truth  and  light,  I  used 
to  regard  it  as  a  difficult  matter,  and  especially  difficult  in  re- 
gard to  my  character  at  that  time,  that  a  man  should  be  capable 
of  being  born  again,  —  a  truth  which  the  Divine  mere}7  had 
announced  for  my  salvation,  —  and  that  a  man  quickened  to  a 
new  life  in  the  laver  of  saving  water  should  be  able  to  put  off 
what  he  had  previously  been,  and  although  retaining  all  his 
bodily  structure  should  be  himself  changed  in  heart  and  soul." 

The  Mediterranean  gleams  in  the  noonday  light.  It  is  im- 
possible to  detach  this  sea-city  from  the  miracles  of  the  sea. 
Saint  Nicholas  is  the  most  radiant  and  prominent  form 
of  the  foreground.  Saint  Nicholas,  friend  of  the  sailor,  and 
especially  of  Genoa,  patron  of  Russia,  all  travellers,  poor 
maidens,  and  the  children,  we  salute  thee  on  the  hillside 
in  the  dreamy  September  tide !  San  Niccolo,  born  without 
guile,  of  rich  parents  at  Panthera,  a  city  of  Lycia  in  Asia 
Minor,  was  reverenced  in  Greece  as  early  as  560,  and  be- 
came a  popular  saint  in  the  West  in  the  tenth  and  twelfth 
centuries.  Full  of  charm  is  the  story  of  the  youth,  accom- 
panied in  religious  books  by  a  quaint  wood-cut,  like  the 
sections  of  a  pasteboard  box,  thrusting  purses  of  gold  into 
the  high  window  of  the   impoverished   nobleman,  whose 


Porta  Pila. 


IX  A   DESERTED   SANCTUARY.  o3 

three  dowerless  daughters  have  gone   to  bed  hungry  and 

cold.  Still  more  characteristic  of  the  time  is  the  narrative 
of  his  subsequent  voyage  to  Palestine,  when  the  sailor  fell 
overboard,  was  drowned,  and  restored  to  life  by  the  saint, 
with  the  usual  stilling  of  stormy  billows  of  such  legends. 
He  was  made  Bishop  of  Myra.  Surely  there  is  no  more 
suggestive  tradition  in  the  Calendar  of  the  early  Christian 
Church  than  that  of  the  ships  laden  with  wheat,  touching 
at  port  in  a  season  of  cruel  famine,  the  captains  refusing 
to  distribute  of  their  hoard,  as  the  cargoes  would  be  care- 
fully weighed  and  measured  by  the  owners  at  Alexandria 
and  again  at  Constantinople,  and  Saint  Nicholas  persuading 
them  to  yield  him  a  sufficient  quantity  to  feed  the  people, 
and  even  to  sow  the  fields  for  another  year,  the  grain 
being  miraculously  replenished  as  a  result  of  generosity. 
Constantine  sent  Saint  Nicholas  a  copy  of  the  Gospels  set  in 
jewels.  The  bishop  was  buried  in  a  line  church  at  Myra,  a 
shrine  of  devout  pilgrimage  until  desecrated  by  the  Saracens, 
when  his  scattered  relics  were  taken  to  Bari,  and  claimed 
by  the  Venetians.  In  view  of  the  sparkling  waters  let  us 
raise  the  standard  of  good  San  Niccolo  above  the  deserted 
sanctuary,  who  once  appeared  to  wrecked  sailors  of  the 
iEgean  sea,  and  guided  them  to  a  safe  harbor  so  long  ago. 

A  ripple  of  sunshine  crests  the  horizon  waves,  remote,  yet 
as  pure  a  ray  as  the  fame  of  Saint  Elmo,  the  allayer  of  ma- 
rine tempests,  or  Saint  Clement,  banished  by  Trajan  to  the 
Crimea,  and  east  into  the  sea  with  an  anchor  attached  to 
his  neck,  when  the  waters  were  swept  back,  and  the  body 
of  the  holy  man  was  floated  gently  to  land  in  a  shrine  of 
white  marble  built  by  angels  in  the  depths.  In  the  play  of 
the  breeze  over  the  surface,  one  sees,  half  shadowy,  half  fan- 
tastically. Saint  John  de  Matha,  the  Provencal,  and  founder 
of  the  sect  of  the  Mathurins,  whose  mission  was  to  ransom 
and  exchange  the  Christian  slaves  held  in  Africa,  and  when 
he  weighed  anchor  with  one  hundred  and  twenty  liberated 


54  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

captives,  and  the  infidels  broke  his  rudder,  and  tore  his 
sails,  he  used  his  mantle,  with  those  of  his  disciples,  and 
was  wafted  to  Ostia ;  or  Saint  Peter  of  Alcantara,  who  fre- 
quently walked  on  the  water  through  faith  in  prayer,  ac- 
cording to  the  chronicler ;  or  Saint  Raymond  de  Penaforte, 
confessor  of  Don  James,  King  of  Aragon,  who  visited  the 
Island  of  Majorca  with  the  court,  and,  displeased  with  the 
evil  company,  sought  a  rock,  spread  his  cloak  on  the  sea, 
placing  his  staff  upright  for  mast  by  tying  to  it  one  corner 
of  the  mantle,  and  embarking  on  the  improvised  vessel, 
reached  Barcelona  in  six  hours.  These  shapes  seem  to  flit 
through  the  mind  as  the  sunbeams  quiver  over  the  waters. 

Yonder  is  a  farmhouse,  or  rather  the  suburban  habita- 
tion of  the  market-gardener,  for  on  these  steep  heights  the 
vine  or  a  patch  of  vegetables  has  always  been  more  read- 
ily cultivated  than  cereals  requiring  the  plough.  The  tiles 
of  the  roof  are  a  warm,  russet-red  tone ;  a  flight  of  broken 
stone  steps  leads  to  the  door  of  the  living  room,  where  the 
buxom  mother  is  visible  preparing  the  noon-day  meal,  —  a 
steaming  minestra,  with  coarse  bread,  or  a  dish  of  polenta, 
flavored  with  cheese,  and  tomato  sauce,  according  to  the 
season  ;  a  gnarled  fig-tree  casts  the  shadow  of  broad  leaves 
on  the  yellowish-white  wall ;  gourds  hang  ripe  on  the  vine 
of  the  arch  below,  and  festoons  of  ears  of  maize  are  already 
suspended  to  dry  under  the  projecting  eaves.  A  donkey 
with  a  grizzled  nose,  and  a  sagacious  aspect,  as  of  an  ani- 
mal of  vast  experience  in  the  market-place  and  on  the 
highways,  is  being  unloaded  of  empty  sacks  and  baskets  by 
the  master,  previous  to  walking  into  the  stable  adjacent, 
redolent  of  fresh  straw ;  and  fowls  strut  around  the  gate, 
teased  and  petted  by  a  sturdy  brood  of  children.  Sheaves 
of  wheat  are  sin  eked  ready  for  threshing,  tithes  of  rich 
fields  of  the  country-side,  and  the  grapes  glow  in  the  sun, 
swaying  in  pendant  clusters  on  a  trellis.  An  atmosphere 
of  song  pervades  the  modest  home.     The  mother  sings  as 


IN  A  DESERTED  SANCTUARY.  55 

she  replenishes  the  kitchen  fire,  the  father  catches  up  the 
refrain  while  unsaddling  the  donkey,  and  the  children  echo 
the  note,  half  unconsciously,  interspersed  with  bursts  of  in- 
fantile hilarity.  Now  the  melody  has  the  grave  cadence  of 
church  music  of  a  people  gifted  with  an  accurate  ear,  and 
early  trained  to  ecclesiastical  psalm  and  canticle,  or  merges 
in  a  merry  folk-song  lull  of  naive  conceit  and  roguish  in- 
sinuation. The  golden  sheaves  are  treasures  indeed,  pos- 
sibly turned  to  the  north  wind  as  the  sickle  cut  the  stalks, 
or  exposed  to  the  west,  in  order  that  the  grain  might  be 
fuller  in  the  ear.  The  early  Church  made  the  sacramental 
bread  of  such  wheat,  and  the  deacon  pressed  a  few  drops 
of  the  first  grapes  of  the  vintage  into  the  chalice  of  the 
altar.  No  doubt  these  good  people  could  give  a  voluble 
history  of  the  chapel,  if  interrogated,  but,  instead,  the 
dreamer  sits  on  the  steps,  watching  the  flight  of  a  white 
butterfly.  The  foot  unconsciously  crushes  some  leaves  of 
the  fragrant  mint,  known  as  erba  di  Santa  Maria,  which 
grows  in  tufts  amidst  the  grass.  The  butterfly  represents 
the  Psyche,  or  soul  element  on  the  heights,  fluttering  far 
above  the  town.  The  body  is  the  earthly  shadow  of  ambi- 
tion, toil,  and  vanity  amidst  the  dangers  and  follies  of  the 
day  in  ancient  Genoa,  while  the  soul,  the  white  butterfly, 
aspires  on  palpitating  pinions  toward  the  pure  sky,  the 
illimitable  depths  of  azure.  We  have  here  complete  the 
history  of  the  Sea  City  from  the  foundation  to  the  present 
hour.  Now  the  insect  drops  into  the  cup  of  a  wayside 
blossom  that  trembles  with  each  vibrating  touch  of  the 
bre< 

Which  flower  is  emblematical  of  Genoa  in  all  the  realm 
of  Mediterranean  bloom  ?  To  Athens  her  crown  of  violets, 
to  Florence  her  lilies,  to  Sardinia  a  wealth  of  oleander. 
Genoa  might  adorn  her  mantle  with  roses,  jasmine,  cassia, 
and  orange  and  myrtle  blossoms,  in  garlands  as  subtly 
blended  in  hue,  with  delicate  svmbolism  of  scent  and  sea- 


56  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

son,  as  those  prepared  for  the  feasts  of  the  Romans  and 
the  Greeks.  Instinctively  we  choose  the  daffodil  for  Ge- 
noa, the  fragrant  yellow  stars  springing  up  unbidden  amidst 
the  weeds  of  palace  gardens,  destroyed  long  ago  by  invad- 
ing armies,  or  left  in  ruins  by  political  factions,  and  tingeing 
with  pale  gold  the  vicinity  of  the  slate-quarries  of  Lavagna. 
A  low  murmur  of  flowing  water  soothes  the  ear.  The 
sound  is  monotonous,  persistent,  yet  acquires  a  distinct 
and  melodious  cadence  in  the  intervals  of  silence.  The 
source  of  this  delightful  music  in  an  arid  and  thirsty  land 
is  a  rill  flowing  from  a  carved  stone  head  into  an  urn- 
shaped  basin.  A  wall,  pierced  with  uniform  small  case- 
ments, extends  to  the  right  of  the  chapel,  and  through  the 
archway  a  fragment  of  earlier  cloister  is  plainly  discernible 
where  the  fountain  still  refreshes  weary  wayfarers,  and 
fills  the  copper  vessels  of  neighboring  housewives  from 
time  to  time.  Evidently  faith  in  the  superior  purity  or 
coolness  of  the  cloistral  spring  prevails  on  the  highway. 
The  fragment  of  monastery  wall  is  as  eloquent  of  the  past 
as  the  deserted  chapel.  What  weird  and  mournful  memo- 
ries must  haunt  the  spot  in  the  hours  of  night !  The  band 
of  Flagellants  that  emerged  from  Perugia,  in  1258,  may 
flit  in  ghostly  ranks  beneath  the  arch,  and  their  sobbing 
lamentations  over  a  sinful  world  mingle  with  the  storm 
and  darkness  of  winter.  All  is  peaceful  and  calm  in  the 
autumn  warmth,  and  the  cloister  stands  revealed,  without 
modifying  shadow,  like  the  letters  of  an  illuminated  Missal, 
albeit  the  parchment-leaf  may  be  shrivelled  and  defaced  by 
the  touch  of  time.  Was  the  community  that  once  flourished 
here  devoted  to  study  ?  Did  Learning  trim  her  lamp  within 
those  tiny  windows,  and  Contemplation  prune  her  wings, 
while  the  traditions  of  Art  were  carefully  treasured  by 
lonely  men,  intent  on  keeping  alive  the  spirit  of  beauty  in 
form  and  color  in  an  ideal  above  that  of  earth?  Were 
spiritual  conflicts  with  self  fought  here,  in  stern  silence,  by 


IN   A   DESERTED   SANCTUARY.  57 

a  Savonarola  ?  Did  a  Saint  Bernard  launch  into  ecstatic 
eloquence  in  praise  of  the  Madonna  ?  Did  a  mystical  Joa- 
chim of  Flora  Calabria  dream  of  the  ages  of  the  Old  and 
New  Testament,  and  the  future,  —  the  first  as  bearing  net- 
tles, the  second  roses,  and  the  third  lilies  ? 

Were  the  prayers  of  this  brotherhood  deemed  especially 
efficacious  in  the  weal  of  Genoa,  and  the  prosperity  of 
certain  princes  in  ruling  their  kingdoms,  just  as  the  invo- 
cations of  the  priesthood  of  all  religions  are  desired  by  true 
believers  of  a  creed  ?  Did  their  supplications  rise  in  tem- 
pests for  those  in  peril,  as  Philip  Augustus  on  the  fleet 
bound  for  the  Holy  Land,  overtaken  by  a  storm  off  Sicily, 
reminded  his  followers  that  the  monks  of  Clairvaux  were 
celebrating  matins  at  the  hour  of  danger,  and  would  not 
forget  them  ?     Saint  John  Chrysostom  said :  — 

"  The  monks  are  like  beacon  towers  on  high  mountains  that 
attract  all  navigators  to  a  tranquil  port  which  they  light,  and 
those  who  contemplate  them  need  no  longer  fear  the  shadows 
nor  shipwreck." 

The  subtle  sweetness  of  daffodils  acquires  the  perfume 
of  a  memory  as  the  water  of  the  spring  flows  into  the 
stone  urn.  The  ruined  cloister  breathes  of  solitude  and 
prayer  in  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  fountain,  as  a  retreat 
where,  according  to  Saint  Bernard,  man  lived  more  purely, 
fell  more  rarely,  rested  more  securely,  died  more  happily, 
and  was  rewarded  more  plenteously.  The  prelate  Alcuin, 
quitting  his  seclusion  for  the  court  of  Charlemagne,  might 
have  sighed  here  as  well:  — 

"Oh,  my  cell!  Sweet  and  beloved  dwelling,  adieu  for- 
ever !  I  shall  never  more  see  the  woods  surrounding  thee  with 
branches  and  flowering  verdure,  nor  thy  fields  filled  full  of  aro- 
matic and  wholesome  herbs,  nor  thy  waters  full  of  fish,  nor  thy 
gardens  where  the  lily  mingles  with  the  rose,  nor  thy  vines.  I 
shall  no  longer  hear  the  birds  singing  matins,  like  ourselves, 


58  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

and  praising  in  their  fashion  the  Creator.  Dear  cell !  I  shall 
weep  for  and  regret  thee  always ;  but  it  is  thus  that  all 
changes,  and  all  passes,  that  the  night  succeeds  the  day, 
winter  the  summer,  the  storm  to  calm,  old  age  fatigued  to 
ardent   youth  ! " 

In  the  musical  ripple  of  the  water  one  discerns  the  voice 
of  Petrarch  discoursing  on  the  allurements  of  solitude  like 
a  Vallombrosan,  or  a  Carthusian,  or  Tasso  singing  anew  his 
Sonnet  to  Saint  Benedict.  Roman  Catholic  writers  dwell 
with  much  satisfaction  on  the  verses  of  the  Protestant 
poet  Wordsworth,  and  the  enthusiasm  of  Dr.  Johnson  for 
such  localities.  When  did  the  place  suffer  demolition  ? 
The  wave  of  French  Revolution  must  have  swept  over  it. 
From  1830  to  1835  three  thousand  convents  are  estimated 
to  have  been  suppressed  in  Europe.  Joseph  II.  demolished 
twenty-four  monasteries  in  his  empire,  confiscating  two 
hundred  thousand  florins  of  their  property  ;  in  Portugal 
three  hundred  fell  under  the  regency  of  Don  Pedro,  while 
Queen  Christina  in  Spain  sacrificed  many  more,  with  the 
stroke  of  a  pen,  from  1835  to  1841.  Possibly  the  fur- 
rows worn  in  the  fragment  of  pavement  were  occasioned 
by  the  fiery  tears  of  the  sorrowful  brethren  driven  forth 
into  the  world  like  the  record  of  the  Abbey  of  Kilconnel  in 
Ireland. 

Clouds  gather  about  the  summit  of  the  hills,  sultry 
vapors  sweep  down  from  the  side  of  Busalla,  and  the 
Monte  Giove ;  the  line  of  shadow  defined  by  the  margin  of 
chapel  roof  on  the  ground  gradually  loses  intensity  of 
contrast. 

A  group  approaches  the  farmhouse  from  the  Turin  high- 
way, consisting  of  a  swarthy  sun-bronzed  man  with  the  iall 
and  sinewy  form  of  a  mountaineer,  leading  a  shaggy  bear 
and  a  monkey,  and  followed  by  a  wife  in  picturesque  rags 
of  a  peasant  costume,  carrying  a  brown  baby,  and  a  small 
boy  with  a  tambourine.     Note  the  prudence  of  the  farm- 


IN  A   DESERTED   SANCTUARY.  59 

folk,  with  fresh  straw  to  set  on  fire,  children  to  steal,  and 
fruit  to  pilfer!  The  mother,  gathering  her  brood  about 
her,  as  the  hen  calls  her  chickens  at  the  advent  of  a  hawk, 
listens  politely,  if  coolly,  to  the  lamentations  of  the  mendi- 
cant woman  with  the  baby,  and  gives  the  boy  a  crust  of 
stale  bread.  The  father  seeks  the  smallest  copper  coin  in 
his  pocket,  and  drops  it  into  the  man's  palm,  then  turns 
his  gaze  to  the  horizon.  Whereupon  the  company  make 
their  manners  for  the  frugal  dole;  the  bear  stands  on  his 
hind  legs,  and  growls  when  his  master  with  a  sharp  stick 
taps  the  iron  wire  inserted  through  his  nostrils;  the  mon- 
key skips  from  side  to  side,  taking  up  the  tip  of  his  tail  in 
absurd  caricature  of  a  lady's  method  of  gathering  her  robe, 
and  the  little  boy  smites  the  tambourine.  Then  the  sorry 
band  takes  its  way  in  the  direction  of  the  town. 

The  tempest  gathers  volume  rapidly,  bred  of  those  ele- 
ments of  the  sultry  atmosphere  in  which  ever  lurk  the  pos- 
sible hurricane,  the  water-spout,  and  the  devastating  hail, 
ready  to  lay  waste  a  blooming  country-side,  and  unroof  the 
humble  hovels  of  the  peasantry.  Masses  of  dark  cloud 
swathe  the  highest  peaks  of  the  hills  of  a  deep,  purple  tint 
in  the  shadow,  with  light  wreaths  of  white  vapor  swirling 
across  the  sombre  background  from  time  to  time,  and  sud- 
den gloom  quenches  the  brightness  of  the  scene,  lowering 
over  Genoa  with  a  menace  of  destructive  fury.  How  many 
storms  have  beaten  on  Genoa  from  the  direction  of  the 
hills  !  The  Sea  City  has  been  stricken  not  only  by  Nature's 
artillery  in  all  the  centuries,  but  by  the  hosts  of  Lombard, 
German,  French,  and  Spanish  armies,  Austrian  conquest, 
and  Italian  invasion  under  such  leaders  as  a  Carmajmola 
or  a  Niecolo  Piccinino.  The  quivering  fires  of  occasional 
lightning  on  the  heights  inland  culminate  in  a  series  of 
blinding  Hashes  above  the  chapel,  and  zigzag  lines  of  daz- 
zling light  down  over  the  city  towers,  accompanied  by  a 
crash  of  thunder  and   a  rush  of  raindrops.     The  band  of 


60  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

mendicants  turn  back,  and  flee  to  the  chapel  for  shelter 
from  the  shower,  the  woman  wrapping  her  baby  close  to 
her  breast,  the  monkey  scrambling  up  on  the  man's  shoul- 
der, and  the  bear  ambling  soberly  in  the  rear  with  the 
small  boy,  who  evinces  juvenile  unconcern  of  a  wetting. 

Nor  are  these  outcasts  the  sole  fugitives  of  the  height 
on  the  occasion :  a  group  of  pilgrims  hasten  to  the  same 
refuge.  These  are  French,  Spanish,  and  Portuguese  en 
route  for  Rome  and  the  Holy  House  of  Loreto.  It  is  an 
age  of  pilgrimage,  of  circular  excursion  tickets,  and  tempt- 
ingly obliging  railway-systems.  A  French  workman,  lithe, 
erect,  and  of  a  military  aspect,  wears  a  medal  won  at  Sol- 
ferino  on  his  breast,  such  as  would  move  the  great  king  in 
his  tomb  of  the  Pantheon,  only  that  the  Latin  races  are 
kept  apart  in  the  machinations  of  European  politics  at  the 
present  hour.  The  game  played  is  the  same,  on  a  larger 
scale,  as  when  our  little  republic  of  Genoa  yonder  was  the 
chess-board,  with  Gallic  pawns  friendly  at  one  moment  and 
Teutonic  knights  at  the  next  turn.  Tutto  il  mondo  e  paese 
("  all  the  world  is  kin  "),  says  the  proverb.  When  will  the 
millenium  of  the  Latin  League  be  consummated  ? 

The  little  beggar  boy,  in  a  faded  jacket,  a  peaked  felt 
hat,  and  with  broken  shoes,  extends  the  tambourine,  and 
the  pilgrims  gravely  bestow  alms.  The  custom  is  a  bad 
one  in  the  cause  of  government  suppression  of  mendicancy. 
Are  we  not  all  beggars  in  some  fashion,  imploring  the 
boon  of  health  and  happiness  of  the  heavens,  if  not  mere 
material  aid  on  earth  ?  The  bear  stretches  himself  in  the 
portico,  refreshed  by  the  moisture,  with  the  aspect  of  a 
good  house-dog,  while  the  monkey  crouches  in  the  most 
sheltered  corner  of  the  building,  and  peers  forth  at  the  rain 
with  an  anxious,  puckered  visage.  As  for  the  lad,  with 
his  dark  eyes,  charming,  coaxing  smile,  and  round,  olive- 
tinted  face,  one  wonders  what  life  may  have  in  store  for 
him.     Will  he  freeze  to  death  on  a  snowy  night,  hugging 


IN  A   DESERTED   SANCTUARY.  61 

his  violin,  in  a  closed  doorway  of  the  Paris  boulevards, 
rather  than  return  home  empty-handed  to  a  cruel  task- 
master ?  Will  he  grow  to  hardened  youth  in  the  slums  of 
London?  Will  he  emigrate  to  South  America,  and  wrecked 
in  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar,  like  the  waif  on  board  the  ill- 
fated  "  Utopia,"  be  swept  by  the  billows  safe  into  the  keeping 
of  royal  favor  in  the  person  of  a  Swedish  prince  in  com- 
mand  of  a  corvette,  witness  of  the  disaster?  He  is  the 
eternal  type  of  Italian  childhood,  the  feathered  shuttle-cock 
of  chance  cast  into  the  abyss  of  poverty,  or  caught  up  to 
become  the  toy  of  fortune. 

A  Portuguese  youth  studies  the  bare  interior  of  the  sacred 
edifice.  "  This  is  a  chapel  built  in  honor  of  the  Virgin," 
he  affirms  in  French.  The  other  pilgrims  cross  themselves. 
Truly  the  deserted  sanctuary  is  dedicated  to  the  Madonna. 
The  Queen  of  heaven  has  been  the  patroness  of  Genoa  for 
centuries.  Sea-faring  folk  of  the  Mediterranean  have  ever 
set  her  light  on  the  hilltop,  the  mariners  ashore  aiding  in 
gathering  materials,  and  the  women  and  children  of  the 
population  carrying  pebbles  from  the  brook  for  the  founda- 
tions. The  clew  given  by  the  Portuguese  lends  a  new  in- 
terest to  the  place.  As  the  Vestals,  Sybils,  and  Druidesses 
were  the  earlier  development  of  a  superior  womanhood  in 
religions,  the  frescoed  wall  opposite  becomes  a  page  of  a 
picture-book.  May  not  a  procession  of  the  Virgin  Martyrs 
have  once  wended  their  way  in  the  direction  of  the  altar 
in  freshest  coloring  as  they  do  in  the  mosaic  work  of  the 
Basilica  of  St.  Apollinaris  at  Ravenna  ?  One  may  fancy 
one  discerns  Saint  Cecilia  wearing  her  robe  of  gold  brocade 
only  to  conceal  the  hair  garment  of  humility  and  penance 
beneath,  or  the  sisters  Saint  Justina  and  Saint  Rufina, 
daughters  of  the  Seville  potter,  kneeling,  with  their  attri- 
butes palms,  and  the  alcarrazas  (earthen  pots),  which  they 
refused  to  sell  to  women  to  be  employed  in  the  worship  of 
Venus.     A  lightning  flash  should  reveal  the  faded  lines  of 


62  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

Saint  Barbara,  protector  against  storms,  holding  her  tower 
with  the  three  windows  for  souls  to  receive  light,  as  em- 
blematic of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
the  time  when  as  a  daughter  of  the  East  she  studied  the 
stars,  and  doubted  idols.  A  gracious  company,  the  women 
of  the  dilapidated  wall,  mute,  fading  beyond  recognition  of 
human  lineaments,  and  scarcely  more  tangible  than  the 
sunbeam  touching  the  dark  interior  with  returning  fine 
weather. 

The  pilgrims  quit  the  temporary  shelter,  no  doubt  accom- 
panied by  Raphael,  the  guardian  angel  of  all  pilgrims.  The 
boy  runs  to  the  fountain  rill  trickling  into  the  stone  urn, 
and  drinks  eagerly.  Sole  gift  left  to  the  dismantled  clois- 
ter to  bestow  is  a  draught  of  cold  water  for  parched  lips  ! 
The  most  beautiful  phase  of  monasticism  was  giving  the 
bowl  of  soup  at  noonday  to  the  poor. 

The  shower  is  over,  ceasing  as  capriciously  as  it  began. 
The  sea  sparkles  with  myriad  reflections  of  broken  lights 
and  the  roofs  of  the  city  glisten,  while  on  the  slope  the 
raindrops  twinkle  on  the  leaves,  the  mint  sheds  abroad  an 
aromatic  fragrance,  and  the  white  butterfly  once  more  flut- 
ters in  the  warm  air.  The  beggar  boy  bursts  into  song, 
and  the  children  of  the  farmhouse  repeat  the  refrain  as 
they  run  out  of  the  door  to  paddle,  with  bare  feet,  in  the 
puddles.  Alfieri  said  :  "  I  have  uniformly  wished  to  fix  my 
residence  only  in  England,  or  Italy,  because  in  the  former 
art  has  everywhere  subjugated  and  changed  Nature,  and 
because  in  the  latter  Nature  always  appears  predominant, 
and  in  its  pristine  force  and  vigor." 

Lo !  The  Franciscan  monk  appears  toiling  up  an  arid 
slope,  and  a  more  distant  note  of  melody  reaches  the  atten- 
tive car.  Is  the  friar  chanting,  as  he  walks,  the  Canticle 
to  the  Sun  of  Saint  Francis  of  Assisi  ?  Is  it  the  song  of  a 
bird? 

"  Ecco  la  lodoletta  che  saluta  col  mo  trillo  il  .so?e." 


IN  A  DESERTED  SANCTUARY.  63 

Let  us  weave  a  wreath  of  daffodils  to  place  on  the  thres- 
hold of  the  deserted  sanctuary,  and  return  to  the  town. 
The  words  of  Saint  Columban  follow  us  from  his  renowned 
monastery  of  Bobbio,  back  amidst  the  defiles  of  the 
Apennines:  "  It  behoves  pilgrims  to  hasten  to  their  homes. 
We  are  pilgrims  ;  therefore  let  us  hasten  to  our  fatherland. 
For  our  whole  life  is  a  day's  journey." 


CHAPTEB    V. 

AN   OLD   WATCH-TOWER. 

LOOKING  eastward   from  the  city  wall,  the  beauty  of 
the  Riviera  di  Levante  gradually  unfolds  along  the 

margin  of  sea. 

Accepting  mere  caprice  of  personal  preference  as  a 
standard  to  the  writer  of  these  pages,  the  Riviera  di  Levante 
is  far  richer  in  charm  than  the  other  shore  so  redolent  of 
modern  fashion.  Nervi  still  nestles  among  her  lemon- 
trees,  beloved  by  the  Genoese  noble  since  the  time  when 
his  ancestors  yielded  to  the  soft,  voluptuous  ease  of  enjoying 
often  hardly  earned  riches  in  idleness  on  marble  terraces, 
adorned  with  statues,  and  rendered  refreshing  by  numer- 
ous fountains ;  Santa  Margarita  dreams  above  her  re- 
flected roofs  and  towers  in  the  limpid  waters,  with  a 
background  of  steep  hills,  arid  gray  in  tone,  with  delicate 
green  gradations  of  hue ;  Rapallo  leans  over  the  lip  of 
wave  of  her  own  bay,  with  steeply  crowding  streets  and 
houses,  weaving  her  meshes  of  silken  lace  for  the  women 
of  the  land,  and  trafficking  in  olive  oil ;  Lavagna  invites  a 
thought  as  the  cradle  of  the  ambitious  Genoese  family  of 
the  Fieschi,  where  Sinibaldo  de'  Fieschi,  Pope  Innocent  IV., 
the  powerful  antagonist  of  the  Emperor  Frederick  II.,  was 
born;  and  Sarzana,  the  ancient  frontier  between  Lignria  and 
Italy,  remains,  ever  recalling  the  rule  of  Lorenzo  the 
Magnificent,  and  the  stretching  forth  of  the  powerful 
Medicean  hand  of  iron,  clad  in  the  silken  glove  of  diploma- 
tic finesse,  to  hold  its  own  with  neighboring  States  of  Lucca 


AN  OLD   WATCH-TOWER.  65 

and  Carrara.  Beyond,  the  Gulf  of  Spezia  expands  in  in- 
comparable loveliness  of  undulating  outline  ;  the  site  of 
ancient  Luna  farther  on  still  reveals  traces  of  amphitheatre 
and  ruins ;  Avenza,  shrunk  to  insignificance,  was  the 
boundary  line  of  the  once  Duchy  of  Massa  before  a  united 
Italy  consolidated  all  small  principalities  ;  Massa  basks  in 
the  sunshine  of  a  smiling  and  fertile  country;  far  away 
across  the  stretch  of  level  sands,  Pisa,  stranded  inland, 
treasures  her  group  of  buildings,  glowing  yellow,  like  trans- 
parent alabaster,  beneath  the  pure  heavens  ;  and  Leghorn 
reaches  forth  into  the  sea,  resort  of  the  discontented  of 
centuries  escaped  from  the  tyranny  of  divers  governments, 
Oorsicans,  Jews,  or  Moors,  the  whole  embraced  by  the 
Carrara  range  of  the  Apuan  Alps.  Did  we  possess  the 
golden  wings  of  one  of  Dante's  eagles  we  might  thus  take 
flight  as  far  as  the  margin  of  the  Maremma,  the  shore 
outspread  like  a  map  beneath  our  glance.  Human  and 
weak,  we  can  only  pause  beside  the  rampart  of  the  walls  of 
Genoa,  and  follow  in  meditation  the  line  of  promontories, 
inlets,  and  artificial  cuttings  of  the  shore. 

In  the  varied  thread  of  life  of  this  ancient  land,  one 
generation  succeeding  another  as  the  fleeting  shadows  of 
the  clouds  darken  the  Carrara  slopes,  Lucan  makes  Luna 
the  residence  of  Aruns,  oldest  of  Etruscan  augurs.  The 
poet  exclaims  :  "  Jove  knows  the  port  of  Luna,  0  citizens  !" 
(Lunai  portum  operae  est  cognoscere,  cives.) 

Roman  statesmen  and  philosophers  mused  in  these  myr- 
tle thickets,  and  amidst  the  ferns,  anemones,  and  orchis 
of  the  chestnut  groves.  Arab  pirates  have  traversed  the 
strand,  a  horde  of  devouring  locusts  obscuring  the  shin- 
ing of  the  sun,  and  settling  on  the  fair  earth  to  destroy 
all  tilings.  The  clash  of  weapons  smitten  on  the  armor 
of  mediaeval  warriors  has  startled  the  balmy  stillness  of 
blooming  nooks  with  the  fierce  hatred  of  party  strife.  But 
the  eastern  Riviera  treasures  her  memories,  lapsing  back 

5 


tit;  GENOA   Tin;  BUPERB. 

softly  into  the  pas!  with  the  pure  dawns,  the  tender,  trans- 
parenl  twilights,  and  the  starry  nights  brooding  over  the 
Mediterranean  Sea. 

On  the  lei!  hand  Carrara  lifts  Berrated  |  to  the  sky, 

palesl  gray  and  Lavender  in  the  changing  lights  of  day,  or 
veiled  in  the  exquisite  bloom  of  blue  and  purple  mists  im- 
parted l>.\  sultry  summer-heat.  A  world  apart  is  Carrara, 
of  deeply  hollowed  ravines,  ^<:i  ij  ><  <  1  surfaces  of  rock,  and 
abrupl  crags,  where  the  slaves  of  toil  slill  draw  from  the 
treasure-house  of  the  hills  the  blocks  of  marble  Bought  by 
the  Caesars  from  the  reign  of  Augustus  for  palace,  temple, 
and  statue  The  faint  reverberation  of  an  explosion  de- 
notes the  drilling  in  the  ravine  of  Ravacione  for  the  placing 
of  the  tin  tube  filled  with  nitric  acid,  and  Hie  subsequent 
flash  of  gunpowder.  The  note  of  the  horn,  resembling  the 
merest  vibration  of  the  hum  of  an  insect,  warns  of  the 
poising  in  mid-air  of  a  dislodged  mass  of  stone  by  means 
of  ropes,  or  the  swift  downward  plunge  on  wooden  sup- 
ports. Carrara,  enveloped  in  white  dust,  with  marble  cor- 
nices, thresholds,  and  steps  to  modest  mansions,  and  where 
the  monotonous  chip  of  the  chisel  resounds  all  day,  is 
reputed  to  abound  in  cripples. 

Slight  effort  of  imagination  is  requisite  to  convert  mani- 
fold, bold,  jutting  points  into  the  colossus  gazing  seaward, 
of  which  Michelangelo  dreamed  when  he  lingered,  curbed 
by  fretting  delay,  choosing  the  precious  materials  for  the 
projected  tomb  of  Pope  Julius  II.  Was  not  the  sculptor 
himself  the  beacon  of  an  altitude  possible  for  humanity  to 
attain,  on  the  heights,  attracting  the  eyes  of  men  over  the 
sea  of  life  in  all  ages  ?  On  the  lower  slopes,  where  the 
amethystine  shadow  of  the  hollows  meets  the  rich  green 
tints  of  chestnut  and  vineyards,  mediaeval  castles  still 
crown  the  ridges,  —  the  bold  pinnacles  and  towers  of  the 
stronghold  of  Castruccio  Castracane,  Lord  of  Lucca, 
erected  at  Avenza  in  1322,  or  Montignoso,  associated  with 


Pia^a  Acquaverde,  Railway  Station  and  Columbus 
Monument. 


AN  OLD   WATCH-TOWER.  67 

early  Lombard  warfare.  Below,  lilies  bloom  on  stretches 
of  sluggish  waters  once  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  rice, 
and  the  level  belt  of  Pineta  extends  at  the  base  of  the  hills 
in  a  mat  of  emerald  verdure  formed  by  the  closely  inter- 
woven branches  of  the  aromatic  pine-trees. 

On  the  right  hand  expands  the  Tyrrhenian  Sea.  Did 
not  the  Lydian  King  Atys,  after  eighteen  years  of  famine, 
divide  his  subjects  into  two  lots,  and  appoint  his  son  Tyr- 
rhenus  over  the  emigrating  portion,  who  left  their  country, 
went  down  to  Smyrna,  built  ships,  set  sail  in  search  of  a 
fresh  territory  capable  of  furnishing  them  with  subsistence, 
and  reached  the  Ombrici,  built  towns,  and  were  henceforth 
known  as  Tyrrhenians  ? 

Let  us  suppose  that  we  quit  the  base  of  the  Columbus 
monument  on  a  keen  afternoon  in  the  month  of  March, 
hasten  across  the  wide  piazza  of  the  station,  and  join  the 
throng  of  travellers  streaming  through  lofty  waiting-rooms 
to  seek  a  place  in  the  train.  The  crowd  astonishes  one. 
How  many  people  there  are  in  the  world !  Above  all,  how 
many  people  are  darting  about  in  perpetual  migration,  not 
only  from  country  to  country,  but  from  town  to  town ! 
Verily  the  early  instincts  of  the  human  race  for  change 
finds  ample  development  in  our  day,  as  well. 

Dear  reader,  did  you  ever  start  on  a  journey  without 
being  rendered  acutely  aware  that  the  community  at  large 
has  been  impelled  by  individual  interests  to  seek  the  rail- 
way at  the  identical  hour  of  your  departure  ?  The  re- 
proach has  been  removed  from  the  entire  population  of  the 
earth  of  staying  at  home,  —  a  custom  which  renders  one 
inhuman,  insolent,  and  superb,  according  to  the  German 
traveller  of  the  Elizabethan  age. 

"  Where  are  they  all  going,  and  why  do  they  need  to 
huddle  into  my  place  as  if  their  lives  depended  upon  it?" 
you  meditate  testily,  as  a  corner  of  a  first-class  carriage 
is  secured,  and  the  train  glides  away  from  Genoa  in  the 
direction  of  Pisa. 


68  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

The  departure  is  devoid  of  stateliness,  as  it  might  have 
been  on  board  a  large  ship  sweeping  out  of  the  port  with 
wide-spread  wings  of  sails ;  it  is  prosaic,  modern,  even 
shamefaced,  in  some  sort,  the  locomotive  burrowing  into 
tunnels  under  the  gardens  and  ramparts  of  the  fair  city, 
like  a  reptile,  and  escaping  with  a  shrill  note  of  steam  into 
the  open  beyond.  The  weather  is  cold,  snow  lingers  on  the 
peaks  of  the  Maritime  Alps,  and  the  breeze,  with  a  sharp 
edge  to  its  refreshment,  should  not  be  mistaken  for  balmy 
sea-zephyrs  because  it  blows  over  the  dancing  waves,  but 
rather  as  the  gust  born  in  ice-bound  denies  of  the  moun- 
tains drawn  back  to  shore,  in  a  surly  and  treacherous 
fashion,  by  the  earth's  attraction.  Suburban  towns  with 
tall  buildings  resembling  those  of  Genoa  appear  and  van- 
ish before  the  window  of  the  railway  carriage.  Villas 
tinted  yellow,  red,  and  green,  and  further  embellished  with 
frescoes  of  sacred  or  classical  subjects,  are  grouped  above 
terraces  of  orange  and  jasmine,  and  ever  suggest  the  arti- 
ficiality of  stage  scenery.  Church  towers  rise  above  con- 
vent walls  and  hamlets.  Here  and  there  an  ancient  town 
with  blackened  roofs  and  gray  walls  extends  in  irregular 
growth  from  the  margin  of  an  abrupt  promontory  up  a 
steep  defile.  The  movement  of  the  train  becomes  soothing 
and  monotonous,  lulling  all  faculties  to  a  dreamy  sense  of 
repose.  The  journey  is  a  twice-told  tale.  The  terrifying 
rush  into  the  darkness  of  damp  and  stifling  tunnels  from 
the  dazzling  light  of  day  has  been  robbed  of  fear  by  famil- 
iarity. Vivid  colors,  light,  movement,  and  intense  con- 
trasts of  shadow  become  interwoven  in  fantastic  variety 
before  the  mind,  the  pattern  of  a  web,  with  shuttles  flash- 
ing along  the  loom.  A  woman  washes  her  linen  in  a  rill 
of  water  trickling  down  ihe  stony  channel  of  a  drying 
torrent.  A  group  of  children,  wild  and  ragged  imps,  have 
kindled  a  few  fagots  in  a  sheltered  nook  of  shore,  and 
dance  about,  warming  red  and  purple  hands  at  the  blaze. 


AN  OLD   WATCH-TOWER.  69 

Beyond  the  reaches  of  inlets  and  glimpses  of  azure  waters 
a  sad  country  succeeds,  of  level  sands  and  tawny,  arid 
hillocks,  haunt  of  the  sea-fowl.  You  are  aware  of  what 
will  happen  in  advance,  just  as  the  route  has  been  rohbed 
of  novelty  by  Erequenl  repetition.  Spezia  passed,  yon  will 
reach  Pisa,  Florence,  or  slip  along  the  Maremma  road  to 
Rome,  iu  due  course  of  time,  —  a  transit  without  incident, 
as  countless  tourists  do  daily.  The  young  German  couple  on 
their  wedding  journey,  the  most  appreciative  and  enthusias- 
tic of  all  nations  in  travel,  will  scan  the  same  guide-book,  the 
bride  fair  and  smiling,  the  bridegroom  spectacled  and  grave 
of  aspect  ;  the  British  admiral,  on  a  tour  of  inspection  of, 
the  Naval  Stations  of  Toulon  and  Spezia,  will  mislay  his 
favorite  silver-topped  walking-stick  in  the  wrong  train;  the 
American  matron,  with  a  bevy  of  vivacious  daughters,  will 
meditate  anxiously  on  the  new  jewelry  hidden  in  her  lug- 
gage, whether  rolled  in  silk  stockings,  or  thrust  amidst  the 
pearl  powder  of  toilette  boxes,  doubting  that  railway  func- 
tionaries may  be  more  sly  in  petty  theft  than  the  stranger 
is  aware.  All  these  things  have  been,  and  will  surely 
again  occur.  The  commonplace  transit  must  thus  come  to 
an  end. 

Lo!  The  train  halts  with  a  sudden  jerk,  which  imparts 
a  backward  movement  of  revulsion  to  every  joint  and 
wheel.  The  dreamer  is  instantly  aroused  to  acute  wake- 
fulness, and  an  electric  thrill  passes  over  the  nerves  of  the 
most  phlegmatic  passenger.  What  has  happened?  Cries, 
calls,  lamentations,  and  a  torrent  of  voluble  inquiries  in 
divers  languages  ensue.  The  guards  hasten  to  and  fro, 
and  are  reticent.  Imagination  has  full  scope  in  the  wide 
field  of  disaster,  and  the  most  recent  catastrophe  tele- 
graphed from  France,  Bombay,  or  America  recurs  to  mem- 
ory. Has  a  landslip  occurred,  and  the  next  gallery  fallen 
in?  Has  the  party  of  glorified  spinsters,  enjoying  after- 
noon tea  with  the  aid  of  one  of  Mr.  Jerome's  completely 


70  GENOA   THE   SUPERB. 

equipped  boxes,  upset  the  lamp  and  set  fire  to  the  cush- 
ions and  curtains  of  the  compartment  ?  Has  the  pale  Orien- 
tal, wrapped  in  an  ulster  in  the  corner  of  a  smoking  carriage, 
suddenly  gone  mad,  and  been  engaged  in  mortal  combat 
with  his  fellow-passengers  since  leaving  the  last  station  ? 
The  fiat  of  authority  is  that  we  must  wait.  Leaping  pulses 
and  quickened  heart-throbs  interrogate :  Wait  for  what  ? 
To  have  an  overdue  diritto  run  into  our  locomotive  in  ad- 
vance, or  some  royal  special  dash  into  the  rear  van  ? 
Accordingly  we  wait.  Gradually  the  confusion  of  move- 
ment, the  tumult  of  panic,  and  the  rapid  exchange  of 
exclamations  subside  to  silence. 

The  train  has  paused  in  a  narrow  space  between  the 
hills  and  the  sea,  the  locomotive  just  inside  of  the  black 
arch  of  one  tunnel,  and  the  curved  line  of  carriages  resting 
in  the  shadow  of  another.  Suspense,  a  sentiment  of 
dread  of  the  crash  which  may  ensue  at  any  moment, 
gradually  yield  to  the  charm  of  the  spot.  Perpetual  sum- 
mer reigns  here.  The  tawny  rocks  frame  a  vista  of  sea, 
where  green  and  crystal-clear  ripples  break  on  the  tiny 
beach,  and  an  occasional  sail  flits  across  the  open  space. 
An  old  watch-tower  stands  just  above  the  water-line,  with 
a  jaunty  coast-guard  lounging  in  the  doorway.  Several 
goats  arc  feeding  on  tufts  of  verdure  growing  in  the  clefts 
of  rock.  The  Italian  proverb  affirms  that  a  goat  never 
dies  of  hunger.  On  the  other  side,  the  hill  rises  clothed  in 
a  wealth  of  olive-trees,  and  with  a  mass  of  crumbling 
stone  traceable  on  a  ledge,  which  may  have  been  the  foun- 
dations of  a  feudal  castle.  Beside  the  track  some  blocks 
of  Carrara  marble  await  transportation. 

The  old  watch-tower  rises  sombre  and  massive  in  outline 
against  all  the  vivid  brightness  of  mingled  colors  in  the 
red  and  yellow  flanks  of  adjacent  headlands  and  the  glanc- 
ing sheen  of  sunlit  waters,  resembling  the  silvery  reflections 
of  a  bird's  plumage.     Beyond  the  brink  is  a  belt  of  quag- 


AN  OLD  WATCH-TOWER  71 

mire,  where  some  city  may  have  been  engulfed  centuries 
ago,  HOW  the  haunt  of  duck  and  snipe  and  toad,  with  this- 
tles growing  in  clumps  above  the  knolls,  while  lizards  glide 
about  the  warm  stones.  Melancholy  desertion  marks  the 
.  undisturbed  by  the  modern  utilization  of  converting 
the  shelter  into  a  sentry-box  for  the  coast-guard,  with  his 
yellow  collar,  and  musket  slung  across  his  shoulders  by 
means  of  a  strap.  The  old  watch-tower  is  the  volume  in 
Btone  of  Genoese  history,  nay,  of  earlier  Roman  record, 
and  the  waves  of  the  restless  sea  beating  at  the  base  of  the 
foundations  the  passing  years.  The  very  shell  of  battle- 
ment and  empty  embrasure  still  forms  links  in  the  chain  of 
lonely  beacons,  extending  from  the  heights  of  Turbia  along 
the  coast  of  Maremma  and  the  Pontine  Marshes;  and  the 
Btanchness  of  wall  and  portal  suggest  the  later  occupancy 
of  the  Genoese  as  a  place  of  refuge  from  invading  foe, 
ami  valiant  self-defence.  What  powerful  emotions  of  fear, 
hope,  and  despair  have  been  suffered  in  this  defile,  where 
the  water  beats  gently  on  the  strand,  and  the  goats  nibble 
such  tufts  of  dusty  plants  as  they  can  reach!  The  Roman 
sentinel  has  joined  the  shades  of  his  crumbled  and  van- 
ished empire,  succeeded  by  the  robust  young  guard,  mind- 
ful of  the  boats  of  fishermen  smugglers  with  spirits  and 
tobacco  from  Corsica,  or  the  women  striving  to  scrape  salt- 
deposits  from  adjacent  rocks.  The  Emir  Musa  may  have 
carried  fire  and  sword  to  this  quiet  inlet,  sweeping  off 
Christian  slaves:  and  the  Lombards  probably  stormed  this 
fastness,  as  well  as  other  portions  of  the  shore.  How  many 
times  the  tower  must  have  changed  hands,  —  a  pawn  on 
the  chess-board  of  political  warfare, —  waged  between  no- 
bles of  the  vicinity,  Malaspini  and  Fieschi,  Guelph  and 
Ghibelline,  Republic  and  Papacy!  Chaucer  might  have 
listened  to  the  tale  of  the  patient  Griselda  from  the  lips  of 
Petrarch  in  yonder  casement,  while  the  violets  shed  their 
sweetness  on  the  air,  and  the  sun  set  in  fiery  splendor  be- 


72  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

yond  the  Mediterranean.  If  an  Eolian  harp  were  strung 
in  one  of  those  upper  windows,  weird  vibrations  of  memo- 
ries would  sweep  up  the  gorge,  indistinguishable  to  the 
impatient  occupants  of  the  waiting  train,  possibly,  ruthless 
invaders  of  this  retreat,  but  intelligible  to  the  old  olive- 
trees  of  the  slope,  wrapped  in  their  draperies  of  mysterious, 
shadowy,  gray  foliage. 

The  block  of  Carrara  marble,  lying  on  the  ground,  glis- 
tens pure  and  white  in  the  daylight.  For  what  use  is  it 
destined  out  in  the  world  ?  Will  it  form  coping  or  step  in 
one  of  the  towns  of  Australia  ?  Was  it  drawn  from  the 
quarries  of  Conca  and  Calacata  in  the  district  of  the  caves 
hung  with  stalactites,  veined  with  crystals  of  sulphuretted 
iron,  the  store  reputed  to  be  prized  in  Holland  for  orna- 
mental architecture  ?  Has  it  been  hewed  from  the  quarry 
of  the  famous  Fantiscritti,  or  that  of  Polvaccio  ?  Will  the 
genius  of  some  modern  sculptor  release  from  this  exquisite, 
semi-transparent  chrysalis  a  Nymph,  a  Bacchus,  or  a  Faun  ? 

Above  rises  the  hillside,  clothed  with  olive-trees.  The 
traveller  of  the  waiting  train  beholds  the  olive  grove  from 
his  own  personal  standpoint.  Is  he  artistic  ?  Then  his 
eye  dwells  on  the  gnarled  and  twisted  branches,  the  hoary 
trunks  and  wide-spreading  roots  rising  black  against  the 
tender  green  verdure  of  the  slope,  the  masses  of  foliage  of 
the  mid-distance,  or  the  delicate  gray  tufts  of  the  upper 
range  swaying  in  the  wind  in  silvery  ripples  nearer  the 
blue  sky,  perplexed  to  choose  between  these  phases  of  form, 
color,  and  light  which  have  mocked  at  the  efforts  of  so 
many  brushes  and  pencils.  Is  he  practical  ?  Then  he 
meditates  on  the  probable  harvest  yielded  by  this  very 
hillside,  from  the  sprays  of  tiny  blossoms  at  Easter  time 
to  the  clusters  of  purplish-black  fruit  gathered  in  October 
until  March,  if  spared  by  a  host  of  enemies  of  the  insect 
tribe,  —  not  equalling  in  size  the  superb  Spanish  olive, 
but  the  Nostrale  of  the  entire  Riviera,  or  the  Columbano 


AN  OLD  WATCH-TOWER.  73 

used  at  Nice  for  preserving.  He  sees  the  women,  aided  by 
the  children,  gather  the  berries  in  their  aprons,  amidst 
laughter  and  song,  to  be  transported  in  sacks  to  some  old 
mill  back  in  a  gorge  of  the  hills,  and  crushed  by  the  slowly 
revolving  wheels,  refined  by  means  of  the  hair-presses,  to 
exude  in  the  precious  golden  oil  drop  by  drop.  He  feels 
a  passing  sentiment  of  sympathy  with  the  population  of 
Provence  in  the  anxiety  occasioned  by  a  frosty  winter 
night,  and  the  pilgrimages  taken  by  entire  districts  bare- 
footed, at  local  shrines,  to  pray  that  the  fruit  may  remain 
unharmed.  Is  he  of  a  religious  temperament  ?  Then  the 
soft  twilight  gloom  of  the  terraces  suggests  to  his  soul 
Palestine  as  the  Holy  Land  of  earthly  pilgrimage,  the 
agony  of  Christ,  and  Gethsemane.  Is  he  fond  of  classical 
lore  in  visiting  these  lands  of  the  sun  ?  Then  he  may 
readily  single  out  an  ancient  tree  on  a  knoll  of  brown  earth 
like  unto  that  by  the  well  of  Poseidon,  where  Ceres  rested 
in  the  cool  shadow,  in  the  guise  of  an  old  woman,  when 
she  mourned  for  her  absent  daughter  Persephone. 

To  the  writer  the  olive  grove  is  suggestive  of  the  pres- 
ence of  that  most  august  of  all  travellers  along  the  shore, 
Dante. 

In  the  year  1265  the  Florentine  matron  of  famous  mem- 
ory down  in  her  narrow  quarter  of  the  Arno  capital  dreamed 
wonderful  dreams  about  her  unborn  child,  as  did  the  mothers 
of  Buddha,  and  of  Saint  Dominick.  Madonna  Alighieri, 
doubtless  musing  on  the  miraculous  portents  of  the  stars 
sparkling  in  the  pure  sky  of  Tuscany,  beheld  a  son  given  to 
her  on  a  green  meadow  beside  a  fountain,  and  in  the  shade 
of  a  laurel-tree.  The  infant  grew  to  a  lad  before  her  eyes, 
became  a  shepherd,  and  strove  to  grasp  the  leaves  of  the 
sheltering  tree.  Is  there  not  discernible  in  the  gracious, 
feminine  vision  the  soul  of  the  Florentine  escaping  to  the 
realm  of  fantastic  slumber  through  the  grated  casement  of 
her  dark,  stone  mansion  near  the  little  church  of  San  Mar- 


74  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

tino, —  an  element  of  the  quaint  wood  panels  of  early  art  in 
adjacent  sanctuaries,  and  of  the  tapestries  of  balconies  and 
windows  on  festivals,  whereon  young  shepherds  of  stiff,  pas- 
toral scenes  disported  themselves  on  gray-green  meadows, 
beneath  laurel-trees,  with  woolly  sheep  grouped  near  ? 

Dante,  born  under  such  favorable  auspices,  was  instructed 
in  philosophy,  theology,  and  the  arts  by  Brunetto  Latini, 
and  other  scholars,  even  acquiring  skill  in  music  and  paint- 
ing, in  addition,  it  is  inferred.  The  awakening  of  the  spir- 
itualized faculty,  when  he  beheld  the  little  Beatrice  in  her 
crimson  robe  at  the  May  festival  given  by  that  worthy  citi- 
zen her  father,  Folco  Portinari,  as  the  key-note  of  outward 
expression  of  the  greatest  poetical  mind  between  the  Au- 
gustan and  the  Elizabethan  age,  and  the  dreamy  adoles- 
cence dedicated  to  the  composition  of  the  Vita  Nuova,  were 
succeeded  by  the  death  of  the  beautiful  woman,  and  the 
marriage  of  Dante  with  the  noble  lady  Gemma  Donati. 
The  fierce,  human  conflicts  ensued  of  party  strife,  plunging 
the  poet  into  the  feuds  of  Guelph  and  Ghibelline.  He 
fought  at  Campaldino  in  1289,  filled  several  missions  to 
foreign  courts,  and  was  elected  a  prior  of  Florence.  The 
Donati  led  the  faction  of  the  Neri  (Blacks)  while  Dante 
espoused  the  claims  of  the  Bianchi  (Whites),  and  the 
former  prevailing,  he  was  sentenced  to  banishment  and 
confiscation  of  property  on  the  charge  of  peculation.  The 
haughty,  lofty,  and  too  frequently  sarcastic  citizen  only 
paid  the  penalty  of  exile  so  usual  in  Italian  cities  at  that 
date  in  the  hostility  of  political  tumults.  How  often  did 
Genoa  thrust  a  kinsman  or  an  opponent  outside  of  her 
gates  to  wander  forth  to  other  towns,  and  scheme  over 
some  means  of  reprisal  whereby  to  return  within  her  walls, 
in  the  internecine  brawls  of  street  and  piazza!  The  Flor- 
entine who  had  snubbed  a  bore  prone  to  frivolous  conver- 
sation in  the  Church  of  Santa  Maria  Novella,  or  reproved 
a  vain  young  cavalier  on  the  thoroughfare  for  his  insolent 


AX   OLD    WATCH-TOWER.  75 

demeanor,  must  needs  reap  a  bitter  personal  hostility  of 
petty  spite  from  his  townfolk.  Why  may  not  yonder  castle 
ruin  on  the  ledge  have  been  the  abode  of  the  Lord  of  Ma- 
lespina,  who  kindly  accorded  hospitality  to  Dante  in  the  dis- 
trict known  as  the  Lunigiani,  when  the  poet  began  his 
wanderings  after  leaving  Rome?  Of  his  rambles  amidst 
the  vine)  aids  of  Sarzana  he  wrote, — 

■•  1  was  a  dweller  on  that  valley's  shore, 
'Twixt  Ebro  and  Maura,  that  with  journeys  short, 
Doth  from  the  Tuscan  part  the  Genoese." 

Memorable  pilgrimage  along  the  brink  of  the  Mediterra- 
nean Sea  !  The  steepness  of  the  toilsome  way  found  lament 
in  the  heaviness  of  the  wayfarer's  soul  in  the  well-known 
lines, — 

"  Tra  Lerici  e  Turhia  la  piu  deserta, 
La  piu  ruina  e  una  scala." 

May  not  our  hillside  covered  with  olive-trees,  above  the 
cutting  of  the  railway,  have  drawn  a  sigh  from  the  heart 
of  Dante  in  the  fervent  invocation  of  a  height  ? 

"  O  raontanina  mia  canzon,  tu  vai, 
Forse  vedrai  Fiorenza,  la  mia  terra 
Che  fuor  di  se  mi  serra 
Vuota  d'  amore,  e  nuda  di  pietate; 
Se  dentro  v'  entri,  va  dicendo  —  omai 
Non  vi  puo  fare  il  mio  signor  piu  guerra." 

This  sigh  was  prolonged  through  all  the  weary  years  of 
banishment  in  store  for  him.  In  the  book  of  "  Eloquenza 
ire"  he  laments:  "I  pity  every  unfortunate  one,  but 
my  chief  eommiscration  is  reserved  for  those  who  consume 
themselves  in  exile,  and  do  not  again  behold  their  own 
country  except  in  dreams."  In  the  "  Convito  "  he  exclaims : 
"I  am  truly  a  ship  without  winter  quarters,  carried  to 
diverse  ports  and  shores  by  the  wind,  withered  and  spent 
by  dolorous  poverty."     The  study  of  the  sky  might  have 


7G  GENOA   THE   SUPERB. 

been  here  as  elsewhere  his  chief  consolation.  "  Can  I  not 
everywhere  see  those  mirrors  (specula),  the  sun  and  the 
stars  ?  Can  I  not  everywhere  beneath  the  heavens  specu- 
late on  sweet  truths  ?  "  How  beautiful  the  mere  suggestion 
that  amidst  the  dazzling  effulgence  of  light  of  the  spheres 
Dante  beheld  the  vision  of  the  cool  gloom,  the  dim  mosaics 
of  wall  and  dome,  and  the  marble  pavement  of  the  old  Bap- 
tistery at  Florence  !  These  images  temper  the  disdain  with 
which  he  rejects  the  proffer  of  pardon  received  at  Lucca, 
as  a  criminal  in  banishment :  — 

"  I  may  return  to  nry  own  land,  but  I  should  be  despicable 
to  accept  such  terms  after  three  lustres  of  exile.  Has  my  inno- 
cence, manifest  to  all,  merited  this?  Is  this  the  debt  due  to  so 
many  wrinkles  and  sweats  consecrated  to  study?  Ah,  far  be  it 
from  any  man  who  prizes  philosophy  the  stupid  humility  that 
would  induce  him  to  submit  to  the  ceremonies  offered !  Such  is 
not  the  road  by  which  I  can  return  to  my  country  :  if  you  find 
other  means  to  serve  me,  leaving  intact  fame  and  honor,  will 
you  inform  me?  If  this  is  the  only  one,  I  will  never  see  Flor- 
ence again.  It  is  permitted  to  me  everywhere  to  contemplate 
the  rising  of  the  sun  ;  I  can  always  consecrate  myself  to  the 
research  after  truth.  .  .  .  And  to  lose  my  good  name  ;  and  to 
abase  myself  within  the  walls  that  saw  my  birth  ?  No  !  better  to 
beg  my  bread." 

In  the  vicissitudes  of  the  future  lying  beyond  our  stretch 
of  Riviera,  renowned  for  his  passage,  his  subsequent  move- 
ments were  involved  in  uncertainty.  He  was  at  Verona 
with  the  Scaligers  in  1306,  according  to  Leonardo  Bruni, 
then  at  Padua,  and  later  at  Castelnovo,  acting  as  mediator 
between  the  Malespini  and  the  Bishop  of  Luni.  Christo- 
pher Columbus  and  Dante  have  been  designated  as  types 
of  a  new  civilization  by  Tullio  Dandolo,  the  author  of  a 
"History  of  Modern  Thought."  If  Dante  beheld  Europe 
aroused  from   the   slumber  of   barbarism,  and  himself  a 


AN  OLD   WATCH-TOWER.  77 

beacon  light,  having  recovered  the  learning  of  antiquity 
to  engraft  on  his  own  youthful  and  fresh  page,  from  his 
fust  blossoming  of  promise  to  the  golden  fruit  which  Italy 
especially  has  collected  for  study,  Columbus  represented 
new  customs,  new  commerce,  new  institutions,  and  new 
empires.  To  the  century  of  Dante  belonged  Petrarch, 
Boccaccio,  Villani,  and  other  scholars  who  reconquered 
classical  territory  in  the  world  of  letters  and  art.  To  the 
century  of  Columbus  belonged  enlightened  princes,  pon- 
tiffs, philosophers,  literati,  navigators,  and  geographers. 

The  day  is  Holy  Thursday,  the  anniversary  of  the  meet- 
ing of  Dante  with  Beatrice,  as  Petrarch  is  reputed  to  have 
first  beheld  Laura  on  Good  Friday,  and  Boccaccio  the  be- 
witching Fiammetta  on  Saturday.  The  associations  with 
Holy  Week  of  the  mediaeval  poets  seem  to  have  been  a 
curious  blending  of  the  religious  sentiment  with  the  amor- 
ous or  visionary.  The  afternoon  light  deepens  to  a  warm 
tide  of  glory  shed  abroad  by  the  invisible  setting  sun,  and 
fills  the  hollow  between  sea  and  hill  with  a  transient  gleam. 
The  old  watch-tower  rises  in  massive  outline  above  the 
little  cove,  where  each  wave  that  breaks  on  the  shore 
acquires  a  tinge  of  liquid  gold,  and  the  goats  nibble  such 
tufts  of  plants  as  grow  among  the  rocks  and  pebbles. 
Shadows  already  gather  at  the  base  of  the  olive-trees,  but 
sunshine  steals  along  the  upper  slopes,  flecking  with  a 
rough  iridescence  trunks  and  boughs,  here  and  there,  and 
warming  the  delicate  foliage  with  tones  of  richest  bronze. 
Above  the  height  lingers  a  cloud,  purified  to  snowy  white- 
ness by  one  does  not  know  what  currents  of  rain  and  wind 
from  the  North,  and  reflecting  the  crimson  rays  of  sunset 
in  the  blended  amethyst  and  orange  hues  of  a  bird's  plum- 
age. Oh,  the  old,  old  olive-trees !  What  secrets  may  they 
not  whisper  to  the  night-wind,  hoary  sentinels  of  the  hours 
of  darkness  on  the  terraces  in  the  mystery  of  life  and 
growth  and  fruition  for  the  nourishment  of  man  ?     The 


78  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

years,  even  the  lapse  of  centuries,  may  be  to  them  as  the 
span  of  the  sun's  course  in  a  single  day,  since  the  Greek 
colonists  brought  them  to  this  shore  to  be  fit  companions 
of  the  vine,  the  plant  as  old  as  the  world. 

And  Dante  wandering  sorrowfully  in  exile  along  the 
Riviera  —  may  not  the  olive  grove  and  this  very  spot  have 
been  to  him  at  such  an  hour  the  swift  revelation  of  his 
great  work,  the  full  awakening,  in  comprehensive  form,  of 
immortal  verse  ?  Surely  the  lower  depths,  steeped  in  twi- 
light, are  weird  enough  to  be  the  dark  wood  in  "  the  mid- 
dle of  the  journey  of  our  life,"  peopled  with  phantoms  of 
fear,  leopard  or  lean  wolf,  and  the  gnarled  roots  and  boles 
of  the  trees  entangling  human  souls.  A  scarped  surface 
of  rock  shines  white  to  the  westward  like  the  cliff  of  the 
Realm  of  Penance.  A  winding  path  of  the  earthly  Para- 
dise through  the  green  verdure  is  visible,  where  Eolus 
softly  unlooses  the  breath  of  Scirocco  among  the  branches, 
and  the  lady  Mathilda  might  loiter  gathering  flowers,  and 
the  poet,  laved  by  the  current,  emerge  refreshed  as  a  plant 
is  covered  with  new  leaves,  his  whole  being  purified,  and 
desirous  to  mount  to  the  stars.  The  cloud  above  the  ridge 
is  sufficiently  lovely  to  lead  human  aspiration  heavenward. 
The  fleecy  vapor  now  thins  in  pink  mist  as  if  about  to 
vanish  from  the  sky  altogether,  now  spreads  in  the  sem- 
blance of  angels'  wings,  and  now  floats  upward  toward  the 
zenith,  assuming  human  outline.  To  the  artist  the  ephem- 
eral vision  would  be  the  ideal  of  the  beautiful  escaping 
from  the  secret  recesses  of  the  Carrara  mountains.  To 
Dante  it  might  have  been  the  divine  presence  of  Beatrice 
descending  from  the  spheres  to  guide  him  up  the  hill,  the 
worship  of  Love  from  the  fountain  sources  of  antiquity  in 
Plato  and  Socrates  to  the  mystical  devotion  to  the  Ma- 
donna in  the  eleventh  century,  the  symbol  of  womanhood, 
the  eternal  abstraction  of  Philosophy.  Thus  from  the 
gloomy  darkness  of  the  base  of  the  hill,  through  the  purifi- 


AN  OLD  WATCH-TOWER.  79 

cations  and  trials  of  the  toilsome  route  up  the  path,  the 
cloud  still  warm  with  sunset-fires  would  beckon  the  Poet 
onward  to  the  planets  of  the  vast  firmaments  of  space. 

A  boal  crosses  the  waters  rapidly  and  enters  the  little 
cove,  the  raiment  of  the  occupants  blanched  and  glorified 
by  the  universal  radiance  of  the  day  now  dying  over  the 
sea.  These  disembark,  ascend  the  embankment  above  the 
railway,  and  tlit  into  the  olive  grove,  singing  snatches  of 
Bong  as  they  disappear.  Do  they  chant  "inexitu, Israel" ? 
11'  they  are  disembodied  spirits  of  the  twilight,  the  celestial 
pilot  of  the  craft  must  be  the  soul  of  Shelley  from  the  fune- 
real pyre  on  the  beach  of  Viareggio,  fanning  the  billows 
with  stainless  pinions  to  gain  Dante's  side  on  the  height. 

The  old  watch-tower  becomes  more  sombre,  and  the 
train  waits.  A  lantern  is  hung  at  the  entrance  of  the  black 
tunnel  in  advance,  with  moths  fluttering  about  the  glass. 
A  spider  runs  along  the  wall  of  the  watch-tower.  The 
young  guard  paces  the  space  before  the  entrance-arch, 
sentinel-wise.  The  sea  makes  music  along  the  shore,  with 
tranquil  yet  melancholy  intonations  of  faintly  blended  yet 
distant  echoes. 

A  sharp  whistle  of  the  locomotive  breaks  the  silence, 
the  joints  of  the  train  creak,  the  wheels  revolve,  and  the 
old  watch-tower,  treasuring  memories  of  the  Genoese  Re- 
public, vanishes  as  the  delayed  travellers  pass  on. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ON  BOARD  THE  YACHT  REVERIE. 

T  OOKING  westward  from  the  city  wall,  the  Riviera 
-■— '  Ponente  curves  in  sunshine  and  shadow  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Marseilles.  That  line  of  shore  wending  away  to 
distant  Provence  has  been  a  highway  for  centuries  for  the 
nations  of  the  earth,  —  Goths,  Franks,  Vandals,  or  Huns, 
while  the  language  of  the  coast  is  affirmed  to  be  compounded 
of  not  less  than  nine  strata  of  divers  tongues,  founded  by 
Phoenician,  Greek,  Roman,  Arab,  Jew,  Iberian,  Burgun- 
dian,  Berber,  or  Celt,  pouring  a  restless  tide  of  adventurous 
humanity  across  the  Alpine  barrier,  and  from  the  sea. 
Does  not  a  similar  invasion  of  all  nationalities  occur  each 
autumn  and  winter,  nocking  from  the  cloudy  north  of 
Scandinavia,  Holland,  and  Great  Britain  to  the  sunny  nooks 
of  violets,  jonquil,  and  cassia,  the  sheltered  groves  of  the 
lemon,  the  palm  and  aloe  crowned  promontories  of  the 
world's  playgrounds  of  Cannes,  Nice,  and  Monaco,  so  redo- 
lent of  satiety,  cynicism,  and  feverish  gayety,  of  pearl  pow- 
der and  wrinkles  ?  The  western  Riviera  is  mondaine  from 
the  feather  in  her  hat  to  the  buckle  of  her  high-heeled 
shoe  and  the  careless  laughter  of  the  fair  Queen  Joanna  of 
Provence  and  Naples  is  the  mirth  of  her  sisterhood  on  the 
terrnces  and  promenades  of  Fashion  to  this  day. 

Pausing  by  the  city  wall,  the  words  of  Petrarch  are  as 
vivid  and  graceful  in  the  nineteenth  century  as  they  were 
in  the  fourteenth  :  — 


ON  BOARD  THE  YACHT  REVERIE.         81 

"I  see  not  only  in  Genoa  a  city  of  fine  aspect  facing  the  sea, 
filled  with  precious  temples,  high  moles,  and  splendid  palaces, 
but  I  marvel  to  behold  the  town  surrounded  by  such  suburbs. 
No  coast  is  more  beautiful  and  odoriferous  than  the  Ligurian 
shore  which  extends  to  the  confines  of  France.  On  one  and 
the  other  Riviera,  in  fact,  the  sweet  chestnut  flowers  on  the 
slopes  of  the  mountains,  on  the  hills  the  always  green  olive,  on 
the  strand  the  sacred  palm  and  the  suave  orange,  and  between 
rock  and  rock  rise  painted  logg'ie,  and  gilded  domes.  The  gifts 
of  Ceres  are  neglected,  but  the  wines  of  Monterosso,  and  of 
Corniglia  are  superior  to  that  of  Falerno,  and  the  fruit  of  Pallas 
grows  in  the  limpid  Gulf  of  Luni  more  abundantly  than  in 
the  Piraeus." 

Yonder  the  daughter  towns  still  repeat  the  general 
lineaments  of  their  beautiful  mother  Genoa,  in  miniature, — 
Savona,  Noli,  Ventimiglia,  Spezia,  or  Albenga,  built  in  an 
amphitheatre  around  the  margin  of  sea,  with  feudal  towers, 
piazze,  and  porticos,  churches  and  oratories.  How  ancient 
they  are,  the  towns,  basking  in  the  brilliant  sunshine  that 
veils  all  scars,  refreshed  by  the  sea  wind,  and  perfumed  by 
the  flowers  of  countless  gardens  and  olive  groves  encircling 
their  crumbling  walls !  What  storms  of  war,  rapine,  and 
pestilence  have  scourged  them,  and  yet  they  give  no  sign  of 
decay  in  the  noontide  !  Is  it  credible  that  only  a  few  years 
ago  the  mysterious  and  dread  earthquake-thrill  smote  Noli 
well  nigh  with  demolition,  devastated  the  blooming  Pian 
di  Diano,  gave  to  the  old  town  of  Mentone,  on  the  hill,  the 
dilapidated  aspect  of  having  sustained  a  bombardment,  and 
caused  the  votaries  of  the  green  table  at  Monte  Carlo  to 
pause  in  the  game  of  chance,  startled  by  the  oscillations  of 
Nature  which  only  too  often  have  proved  to  be  the  shock  of 
doom?  The  western  Riviera  has  resumed  her  smiles,  as 
the  palms  of  her  terraces  once  more  spread  their  fronds  to 
the  light  and  warmth,  after  a  severe  storm  of  snow  and 
sleet,  yet  the  records  of  Genoa  are  full  of  similar  calam- 

6 


82  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

ities  in  past  years,  such  as :  "  In  1217,  on  the  8th  of  Janu- 
ary, there  was  an  earthquake  toward  evening."  Again : 
"  In  1222  an  earthquake  shock  at  the  hour  of  vespers 
made  all  fear  a  total  ruin  of  the  cit}\  It  lasted  for  a  long 
time,  and  was  felt  throughout  Italy,  especially  at  Brescia. 
Renewed  tremblings  of  the  ground  were  much  apprehended 
at  New  Year's  Day."  Still  more  disastrous  is  the  fol- 
lowing item  :  "  In  1456  there  was  an  earthquake  which 
injured  many  towns  in  Italy.  Brindisi  suffered  the  worst 
damage.  At  Naples  the  archbishop's  palace  and  several 
churches  fell." 

Floods  and  earthquakes  are  pronounced  the  two  great 
winding-sheets  of  oblivion  for  the  world. 

Let  us  imagine  ourselves,  dear  reader,  on  the  terrace  of 
the  old  villa  at  Pegli,  to  the  right  hand  of  Genoa.  The 
day  is  Shrove  Tuesday  of  an  early  season,  and  on  the  mor- 
row all  the  world  will  keep  Ash  Wednesday  in  suitable 
penitence  for  the  follies  of  the  past  winter.  The  weather 
is  soft  and  mild,  after  weeks  of  cloud,  rain,  and  mud. 

A  lad,  dressed  like  a  harlequin  in  a  costume  striped  red 
and  white,  his  features  concealed  by  a  simpering  mask, 
cuts  capers  on  the  path,  aided  by  a  little  girl  in  a  tinsel 
spangled  petticoat,  and  a  black  velvet  visor.  Both  beg  for 
coppers.  They  are  shabby  figures  enough  if  emblematic  of 
the  carnival  spirit  still  lingering  on  the  Riviera.  Prince 
Carnival  of  court  intrigue,  clerical  rule,  and  despotism  died 
a  natural  death  long  ago.  His  effigy  is  galvanized  afresh 
every  season  in  Liguria  to  amuse  and  astonish  some  sober 
Anglo-Saxon  element,  albeit  his  retinue  smacks  a  trifle  too 
much  of  the  theatre  for  effects  of  daylight. 

You  are  seated  in  the  arbor  built  on  the  wall  over- 
looking the  Pallavicini  gardens.  The  arbor  at  the  oppo- 
site extremity  of  the  terrace  is  occupied  by  the  old  couple. 
The  winter  season  at  the  villa  would  lack  an  important 
element  without  the  annual  return  of  the  old  couple.     Mon- 


Gardens  of  Pallavicini. 


ON  BOARD  THE  YACHT  REVERIE.  83 

sieur  Meyer  wears  a  black  wig  curled  on  either  side  of  an 
amiable  and  shrivelled  countenance,  his  cheeks  are  rouged, 
and  his  brows  portentously  arched  and  darkened.  Madame 
Meyer  is  a  little  woman  supported  on  very  high-heeled 
slippers ;  her  peignoir  of  amber  silk  has  a  Watteau  train, 
her  cavalier  hat  has  long,  blue  feathers,  and  is  placed 
coquettishly  on  nut-brown  locks  as  palpably  artificial  as  the 
raven  wig  of  her  husband.  She  is  of  Scotch  or  Irish  origin, 
and  he  a  native  of  Heligoland.  He  has  been  a  comedian, 
and  she  a  tragedian.  They  live  in  Paris,  the  natural 
retreat  of  such  waifs  of  the  theatre,  where  they  defy  rheu- 
matism by  attending  each  first  representation,  and  old  age 
by  supping  at  the  cafes  of  the  Boulevards.  Cosmopolitan, 
versed  in  many  tongues,  they  fraternize  with  all  races. 
Twenty  years  earlier  they  spent  their  honeymoon  at  the 
villa,  and  return,  after  the  jour  de  VAn,  for  the  spring 
months  in  this  romantic  retreat.  How  odd  they  are,  the 
old  couple,  with  their  cosmetics,  and  mannerisms,  and 
hearts  of  gold !  They  bestow  dowries  on  poor  maidens, 
get  up  lotteries  and  fairs  for  the  benefit  of  the  children, 
zealously  defend  the  cause  of  dumb  animals  along  the  shore 
to  the  extent  of  building  drinking  troughs  for  the  dogs  and 
cats  on  the  highway.  Madame  Meyer  reads  Shakspeare 
of  an  evening,  in  a  high-pitched  voice,  or  Monsieur  Meyer 
recites  Moliere  to  her,  sunk  in  the  depths  of  an  armchair, 
with  his  gaze  fixed  on  the  ceiling.  The  old  lady  has  been 
gathering  roses,  at  the  present  hour,  in  a  true  basket  of  an 
Arcadian  shepherdess,  suspended  from  her  left  arm  by 
means  of  blue  satin  ribbons.  She  selects  a  creamy  bud 
from  this  hoard  of  bloom  and  fragrance,  and  inserts  it  in 
the  button-hole  of  her  husband's  velvet  morning-coat.  Her 
movements  are  characterized  by  a  studied  grace. 

Monsieur  Meyer  bows,  and  begins  to  sing  in  a  quavering 
voice  to  the  accompaniment  of  a  mandolin,  when  the 
Provencal    in  the  road  below  permits  him   to  be   heard. 


84  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

He  strums  on  the  strings,  meditates,  and  at  length  pipes 
the  familar  lines  from  the  Romance  of  the  Rose,  with 
careful  articulation :  — 

"  Le  Temps  qui  s'en  va  nuit  et  jour 
Sans  repos  prendre  et  sans  sejour ; 
Et  qui  de  nous  si;  part  et  emble 
Si  secretement  qu'il  nous  senible 
Que  maintenant  soit  en  un  point, 
Et  il  ne  s'y  arrete  point  — " 

"But  that  is  frightful,  my  friend,"  protests  Madame 
Meyer,  with  a  little  grimace. 

"  Pardon !  "  responds  the  old  actor,  and  resumes  :  — 

"  Celle  dame  avoir  noin  Beaute, 
Que  point  n'etoit  noire  ne  brune, 
Mais  aussi  clere  que  la  lune 
Est  envers  les  autres  estoiles, 
Qui  semblent  petites  chandelles 
Tendre  chair  eut  comme  rosee ; 
Simple  fut  comme  une  epousee, 
Et  blanche  comme  fleur  de  lys." 

The  old  couple  are  a  caricature  of  the  romance  and 
chivalry  of  the  past,  and  not  out  of  place  on  the  western 
Riviera  on  Mardi  Gras.  Monsieur  Meyer  is  the  shrunken 
effigy  of  the  Trouvere  mumbling  the  famous  verses  of 
Guillaume  de  Lorris  in  the  langue  cFO'il.  Madame  Meyer 
is  the  phantom  of  the  coquetry  of  the  Middle  Ages,  her 
charms  of  mind  and  person  extolled  by  troubadours,  as 
the  Countess  Mohant  de  Montagnac  sighed  for  celebrity, 
or  the  Viscountess  Guillcmette  de  Benanges  received  the 
homage  of  ardent  cavaliers  and  knights. 

Down  in  the  road  the  Provencal  turns  his  head  to  make 
the  bells  of  his  brass  helmet  jangle,  clashes  cymbals  with 
his  left  hand,  thumps  a  big  drum  attached  to  his  foot  by 
means   of   cords,    and    plays   on  a    wind    instrument    at 


ON  BOARD  THE  YACHT  REVERIE.         85 

intervals.  He  is  only  an  automaton  gathering  precarious 
pence  from  town  to  town.  Possibly  he  represents  the 
jongleur  of  mediaeval  fairs  admonished  by  the  poet  Girard 
de  Calanson  as  to  the  accomplishments  requisite  to  such  a 
craft:  "Learn  to  rhyme  and  to  speak  well,  with  plenty 
of  jeu  d'esprit.  Play  the  tambour  and  the  cymbals, 
make  melodies  resound,  toss  up  little  apples  and  catch 
them  on  the  point  of  a  knife,  imitate  the  song  of  the 
nightingale,  play  tricks  with  baskets,  simulate  attacks  on 
chateaux,  and  traverse  four  circles  jumping.  Play  the 
cithern,  tune  the  spinet  and  the  guitar,  and  accord  the 
jig  to  the  air  of  the  psaltery." 

An  American  lady,  whose  rare  proficiency  in  perform- 
ing on  the  harp  must  be  a  foretaste  of  the  melodies  of  the 
spheres,  has  pronounced  the  mandolin  "  mosquito  music." 
The  buzzing,  monotonous  vibrations  of  the  strings  beneath 
the  white  fingers  of  the  old  actor  penetrate  the  ear  like 
the  echo  of  the  songs  of  William  IX.,  Count  of  Poitau 
and  Duke  of  Aquitaine,  of  Alphonse  II. ,  King  of  Aragon, 
of  the  Bishop  of  Clermont,  of  the  last  Count  of  Provence, 
Raymond  Berenger  IV.,  of  Arnaud  de  Marveil,  Rambaud 
de  Vagueiras,  or  Pierre  Vidal,  down  to  Jasmine  and 
Mistrale  of  modern  times.  The  mandolin  becomes  mock- 
ing, even  fantastic  in  his  grasp,  as  if  weaving  together  the 
interminable  measure  of  ghostly  pastoral,  aubades,  and 
serenades  (the  morning  and  evening  hymns  to  Love), 
retrouange*  and  retroudes,  the  more  complicated  forms 
of  ballad  construction  in  homage  of  the  withered  dame 
smiling  beneath  the  cavalier  hat.  Does  it  not  also  suggest 
those  Jeux  Floraux  held  at  Toulouse  in  the  garden  of  the 
Augustiues,  in  1355,  to  revive  the  rapidly  dying  art  of 
romantic,  local  rhyming,  with  a  first  prize  of  the  Golden 
Violet  (o  be  bestowed  on  the  poet  who  composed  the  best 
song,  the  eglantine,  or  jasmine  of  Spain,  wrought  of  silver, 
as  a  second  premium  for  the  most  attractive  pastoral,  and 


86  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

the  yellow  blossom  of  the  thorny  acacia  as  the  third  gift 
for  a  sprightly  ballad  ? 

The  scent  of  the  roses  in  the  little  basket  held  by 
Madame  Meyer  steals  over  all  the  senses  with  softest 
oblivion  of  time  and  all  prosaic  realities.  The  pilgrimage 
of  life,  in  our  day,  is  marked  by  the  wayside  shrine  of 
roses  even  for  the  humblest  son  of  toil,  who  may  readily 
drape  his  cottage  wall  in  a  cloth-of-gold  such  as  the 
ancient  Greek  and  Roman  could  not  boast,  or  inhale  the 
breath  of  sweet-brier  from  the  Scottish  wilds  on  the  win- 
dow-ledge of  the  town,  provided  he  possess  in  his  heart 
the  love  of  beautiful  flowers,  as  Dean  Hole  suggests. 
Oh,  the  roses  of  the  Mediterranean  strand  !  The  perfumes 
emanating  from  Madame  Meyer's  basket  link  together 
the  whole  western  shore  in  one  wilderness  of  bloom ; 
tangled  thickets  of  crimson  splendor  merging  through 
every  gradation  of  tone  of  maroon  and  mauve  to  purplish- 
black  shedding  abroad  a  languorous  sweetness  on  secluded 
paths  ;  whole  parterres  of  yellow  blossoms  ranging  in  tint 
from  the  reve  d'or  to  sulphur,  and  copper  reflected  in 
fountains  ;  exquisite  tendrils,  ivory -tinted,  and  pure  white, 
clinging  to  balcony  and  garden  wall ;  avenues  forming  dim 
vistas  of  silvery  and  rosy  sprays  ;  and  slopes  of  hillside  a 
pink  snow  half  stifled  in  the  green  of  myrtle,  fern,  and  aloe. 
Gloire  de  Dijon,  1' Aurora,  Eugenie  Beauharnais,  Marechal 
Neil,  La  Belle  Lyonnaise,  dispute  the  supremacy  of  exotic 
orchid,  camellia,  azalea,  begonia,  and  cassia  from  inlet  to 
inlet,  until  yielding  up  life  in  the  sacrifice  of  the  per- 
fumers of  Grasse  with  jonquil,  tuberose,  verbena,  violet, 
and  that  noted  sister,  the  muscadine,  used  in  distilling 
essences.  Monsieur  Alphonse  Karr,  the  magician  of  the 
sunshine,  whose  bidding  the  most  capricious  and  stubborn 
plant  obeyed,  will  ever  remain  the  great  Rose  Prophet  of 
the  Riviera. 

Did  Genoa  intoxicate  her  guests  in  the  prime  of  her 


ON  BOARD  THE  YACHT  REVERIE.  87 

glory  as  a  city  and  a  republic  with  a  spell  more  potent  than 
that  of  old  wine  in  the  sweetness  of  roses  ?  Did  the  Doge 
cause  a  shower  of  variegated  petals  to  fall  softly  from  the 
gilded  ceiling  down  on  the  banquet  given  in  honor  of  some 
foreign  prince,  feared  as  a  conqueror,  or  to  be  propitiated 
as  an  ally,  Heliogabalus  wise  ?  Had  not  the  returned  trav- 
eller or  sailor  delightful  descriptions  to  recount  in  the 
market-place  of  the  plains  of  Persia  aglow  with  roses,  and 
the  fragrant  harvests  of  Roumelia  treasured  for  eastern 
harems  in  the  slender  glass  bottles  of  attar,  lettered  with 
gold  ?  Did  the  Genoese  Cleopatras  spread  their  floors  with 
a  velvet  carpet  of  fresh  roses  a  foot  in  depth  ?  Were  the 
gay  damsels  of  the  balconies  regaled  in  time  of  carnival 
with  the  oriental  sweetmeat,  the  rose-jam  of  Turkey  and 
Greece,  "  dulchatz,"  or  the  Rahat  Lakoum  of  Stamboul 
confectioners,  as  modern  maidens  nibble  Nice  violets 
crystallized  ? 

The  little  Russian  boy  is  not  sailing  his  toy  boat  on  the 
beach  to-day ;  in  his  place  that  juvenile  son  of  Genoa,  Beppo, 
launches  on  the  silvery  ripples  a  somewhat  clumsy  craft  of 
his  own  carving,  fashioned  from  a  block  of  wood  with  a 
dull  pocket-knife.  A  group  of  admiring  comrades  watch 
his  movements  with  much  shrill  advice,  imparted  gratui- 
tously, and  received  with  contempt.  Beppo  is  a  nimble  lad 
of  eight  years,  with  a  brown  little  face,  bright  eyes,  and 
sharp,  white  teeth.  His  raiment  consists  of  some  blue  rags 
of  a  nondescript  character,  fastened  with  a  sash  around  the 
waist,  his  feet  are  bare,  and  his  head  is  surmounted  by  a 
red  cap,  like  a  button.  A  healthy  type  of  childhood,  a  waif 
of  Genoa,  whose  mother  is  dead  while  his  father  is  absent 
on  a  voyage  to  America,  Beppo,  a  son  of  the  Littoral,  with 
the  sun  and  the  wind  for  his  favorite  playfellows,  turns  by 
instinct  to  the  sea,  as  did  Columbus  in  his  youth. 

You  leave  the  arbor  of  the  terrace,  descend  the  path,  and 
step  on  board  of  the  native  vessel.     At  the  moment  the  pic- 


88  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

ture  of  a  French  artist  reverts  to  the  mind,  in  which  some 
children  convert  an  old  wooden  shoe  into  a  boat  to  float  on 
the  river  current.  "  This  is  the '  Cristoforo  Colombo,'  "  pro- 
claims the  little  Genoese,  taking  command.  "  We  are  about 
to  explore  the  western  shore."  —  "  No  ;  this  is  only  a  shoe, 
a  French  sabot,  or  one  of  those  wooden  sandals  worn  at 
Lucca  and  Como,"  you  rejoin.  "  However,  such  as  it  is, 
let  us  christen  it  our  yacht  '  Reverie.' " 

So  with  the  music  of  the  mandolin  still  humming  in 
your  ears,  and  the  perfume  of  the  roses  lulling  all  your 
senses  to  idleness,  you  drift  away  from  the  beach  at  Pegli, 
almost  imperceptibly,  and  with  an  odd  consciousness  of 
"  making  believe,"  as  the  children  say,  in  every  movement. 
If  all  the  world  is  enjoying  a  holiday  on  the  fairy  vessels 
known  as  yachts,  surely  one  may  creep  along  the  shore  in 
the  shoe  craft,  with  the  Genoese  boy  acting  as  pilot.  Possi- 
bly the  boat  more  closely  resembles  in  build  that  launched 
on  the  German  Ocean  by  Van  Kompf,  as  the  first  yacht, 
than  any  graceful,  gilded  shell  sent  forth  on  Adriatic  waves 
by  the  Venetian  Doge  Marino  Faliero.  Never  was  less 
adventurous  voyage  undertaken  under  the  guidance  of  a 
Genoese  mariner  !  Never  was  a  more  sudden  and  unpre- 
meditated embarkation  than  from  the  beach  of  Pegli !  You 
skirt  the  land  from  the  side  of  the  water,  as  a  skiff  floats  in 
the  cool  shadow  of  a  hill  on  the  surface  of  a  lake  of  a  sum- 
mer evening,  or  a  slender  canoe  threads  its  way  up  some 
secluded  river,  parting  the  over-hanging  branches  of  the 
trees,  and  pushing  aside  a  network  of  entangling  vines. 
No  pungent  breath  of  the  sea  greets  the  nostrils,  —  only  the 
mingled  odors  of  earth,  gardens,  and  the  tar  of  cordage  and 
shipyards.  The  most  trivial  and  insignificant  details  ac- 
quire a  photographic  distinctness  even  in  fleeting  glimpses, 
while  whole  ranges  of  distant  coasts  remain  dim  and  vague, 
portions  of  a  clouded  horizon.  From  a  salient,  almost 
oppressive  feature  of  the  scene  there  is  no  possibility  of 


ON  BOARD  THE  YACHT  REVERIE.         89 

escape  :  that  barrier  of  mountains,  the  Maritime  Alps,  be- 
comes a  menacing,  frowning  wall  of  rock  seamed  by  glacier 
fissures,  worn  by  descending  torrents,  and  often  crowned 
by  the  pun',  crystal  white  of  freshly  fallen  snow.  There  is 
a  cadenccd,  almost  wearisome  reiteration  on  the  brain,  at 
times,  that  you  must  contemplate  the  early  home  of  a  curi- 
ous people  in  the  ancient  Ligurians.  Upon  those  heights 
they  were  born,  plunged  into  the  adjacent  icy  stream  as  a 
rude  baptism  of  life,  while  their  vigorous  mothers  resumed 
the  labor  of  the  field.  The  austerity  of  the  rearing  of  those 
Ligurian  babies  recalls  that  of  the  Scandinavians  rolled  at 
a  tender  age  in  a  snow-bank  to  brace  the  frame  for  the 
hardships  of  early  hunting,  in  the  good  old  times,  or  the 
papoose  of  the  North  American  Indian  inured  from  the 
cradle  to  the  lot  of  a  brave.  In  no  wise  did  they  resemble 
dimpled  childhood  of  the  present  day  of  the  Nice  prome- 
nade, enveloped  in  lace,  and  reposing  on  the  broad  breast 
of  a  foster  mother  in  national  peasant  costume  of  her  class, 
Russian,  Hungarian,  or  Roman,  protected  from  the  sun  by 
a  silk  parasol.  Grown  to  manhood,  the  mountain  baby  is 
represented  by  the  Greeks  and  Romans  as  fond  of  lib- 
erty, while  cultivating  the  soil  with  commendable  assiduity, 
pounding  and  crumbling  the  stones  and  enriching  the  sand, 
sowing  grain  in  the  valleys,  fostering  sturdy  trees  between 
the  rocks  to  serve  as  durable  timber,  planting  vines  on  the 
slopes,  and  rearing  bees.  He  subsisted  on  barley,  radishes, 
the  meat  of  game,  and  wild  fruits,  while  his  beverages  were 
milk,  water,  and  a  liquor  made  of  barley.  No  doubt  he 
w ould  have  laughed  to  scorn  the  smothering  luxury  of  the 
dainty  cot,  shrouded  in  gossamer  draperies,  fastened  with 
knots  of  ribbon,  prepared  for  the  offspring  of  Fortune,  seek- 
ing winter  sunshine  on  the  Riviera,  as  for  generations  he 
slept  in  the  open,  under  a  tree,  until  he  bethought  him  to 
seek  shelter  from  the  tempest  of  the  winter  night  in  caves, 
and,  later,  even  built  himself  a  rude  hut  entirely  without 


90  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

cement.  He  exchanged  honey,  leather,  and  skins  with  other 
nations  as  a  rudimentary  form  of  traffic.  His  raiment  con- 
sisted of  the  sheepskin  still  worn  by  the  shepherds  of  many 
countries,  with  the  surface  of  wool  turned  inside  for  winter 
wear,  and  outside  for  the  summer  months.  There  came  a 
date  when  he  gazed  enviously  at  the  foot  covering  of  the 
Roman  soldiery,  and  imitated  it,  while  the  simple  sheepskin 
was  equally  discarded  in  favor  of  a  round  garment  of  wool, 
cut  with  little  folds  on  the  flanks.  Thus  he  lived  his  day ;  and 
as  the  older  ranks  of  forest,  when  cut  down,  leave  the  soil 
prepared  by  the  sunshine  for  other  forms  of  growth  in  plants, 
the  ancient  Ligurian  made  way  for  the  Roman.  Some  seed- 
germs  were  carried  by  the  wind  to  take  root  elsewhere  ;  the 
sea  sparkling  below  lured  him  to  become  a  bold  sailor  ;  he 
sallied  forth  to  war,  he  was  the  armed  retainer  of  feudal 
lords  in  their  strongholds  and  castles.  There  extend  the 
wall  of  rock,  the  picturesque  valleys  stretching  far  inland, 
the  lovely  outline  of  hills  merging  to  cliff  and  summit, 
catching  every  shadow  of  dappling  cloud  and  rift  of  daz- 
zling light  on  the  soft  gray  of  arid  surfaces,  and  the  green 
zones  of  lush  verdure.  Surely  the  sinew  and  vigor  of  the 
early  hunters  amidst  the  glaciers  and  the  snow-peaks  must 
still  exist  in  the  men  and  women  who  flock  down  to  the 
towns  of  the  shore  in  the  season  to  serve  as  hewers  of 
wood  and  drawers  of  water. 

The  Roman  conqueror  succeeded,  with  his  broad  and 
massive  personality,  in  the  civilization  of  laws,  architec- 
ture, and  military  strength.  He  smoothed  the  roads  of  all 
obstructions,  previously  rendered  inaccessible  by  the  wary 
and  savage  Ligurians  as  a  means  of  keeping  any  foes  at 
bay,  to  connect  the  region  with  the  famous  Via  Postumia 
and  the  Via  Emilia  in  the  system  of  linking  together  town 
niter  town  with  Rome  on  one  side,  and  Genoa  with  Pia- 
cenza,  Rimini,  Friuli,  the  Alps,  and  Germany  on  the  other. 
He   gave  to  Cannes  her  bridge,  to  Turbia  its  trophy,  to 


ON  BOARD  THE  YACHT  REVERIE.  91 

Clausonne  and  Vallauris  aqueducts,  to  Napoule  and  Auri- 
beau  granaries,  and  to  Yence  and  Grasse  temples  dedicated 
to  the  twelve  gods.  He  built  a  wall  at  Mentone,  a  circus 
at  Ventimiglia,  villas  at  Cap  Martin,  and  an  amphitheatre 
for  gladiatorial  combats  at  Cimiez.  In  turn  he  levied 
tribute  on  the  western  Riviera  according  to  the  resources 
of  the  shore.  The  coverlets,  mantles,  and  aprons  woven 
at  Tasgia  were  much  esteemed  in  the  market  of  Rome. 
Lime  and  brick-kilns  abounded  along  the  coast,  of  which 
traces  are  still  visible,  and  at  Vallauris  the  potter  moulded 
his  vessels  and  vases  from  the  clay  of  the  vicinity.  Genoa 
furnished  tiles,  and  the  slate  used  in  the  arts  of  design,  and 
for  pilasters,  the  quarries  receiving  the  name  of  Tegolata 
from  the  Romans. 

Beppo,  the  juvenile  commander  of  our  shoe-craft,  may  be 
said  to  be  paying  a  visit  to  his  kindred,  so  marked  has 
been  the  Genoese  influence  on  the  western  Littoral  from 
the  earliest  period  of  history.  Accepting  Genoa  as  the 
central  market  of  Liguria,  even  as  a  convenient  spot  for 
baiter  with  the  rude  tribes,  and  a  rendezvous  of  growing 
prosperity  in  a  Roman  colony,  the  infant  towns  in  the 
direction  of  Marseilles  turned  to  her  for  assistance  and 
protection,  owning  allegiance  to  her  government  as  well. 
The  pages  of  local  history  record  the  rebellious  and  refrac- 
tory attitude  of  these  tributaries  to  all  maternal  coercion 
through  the  centuries,  now  forming  alliance  with  certain 
powerful  barons  of  their  neighborhood,  also  petulant  under 
the  restraint  of  the  Genoese  yoke,  and  again  lending  ear 
to  the  flatteries  of  foreign  invaders,  eager  to  rob  the  Sea 
City  of  her  wealth,  and  to  weaken  her  power.  The  fisher- 
men and  sailors  —  a  race  apart  —  still  keep  their  traditions 
of  parentage,  and  retain  the  Genoese  patois  to  a  large 
extent. 

Voltri  stretches  from  the  promontory,  tunnel-pierced,  up 
the  blooming  valley  of  the   Ceruso.     Here  is  a  secluded 


92  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

nook  of  inlets  sheltered  by  the  rocks,  where  sand  forms  a 
smooth  deposit  of  beach,  and  the  waters  acquire  the  most 
exquisite  tints  in  zones  of  beryl-green,  sapphire,  and  topaz. 
The  spot  is  one  of  those  tiny  bathing-stations  no  doubt 
frequented  in  summer  by  people  of  the  interior,  where  the 
late  Duke  of  Aosta  might  have  led  his  three  little  sons 
into  the  waves  when  they  were  recently  bereaved  of  their 
mother,  —  once  queen  of  a  stormy  Spain.  A  small  urchin, 
resembling  our  pilot,  wearing  a  red  cap  and  with  bare  feet, 
scuds  across  the  cove,  takes  a  stick  from  his  pocket,  and 
begins  to  draw  on  the  moist  sand.  He  works  swiftly  ; 
and  when  the  sketch  is  completed  he  steps  back  a  pace 
and  contemplates  it  with  satisfaction,  while  fully  aware 
that  the  next  wave  will  erase  the  picture  from  this  de- 
lightful slate.  What  design  has  he  made  of  biped,  animal, 
or  bird,  this  little  Giotto  of  the  Littoral  ? 

Farther  on  between  Avenzano  and  Cogoleto,  the  reputed 
birthplace  of  Columbus,  a  low,  yellow  wall  borders  the  road 
where  an  old  man  sits,  basking  in  the  warmth  and  begging 
for  alms.  He  is  of  Beppo's  kindred  also,  an  ancient  mar- 
iner, with  a  nut-cracker  type  of  countenance,  and  bushy, 
irascible  eyebrows.  He  wears  a  red  cap  with  a  tassel,  and 
has  a  pair  of  crutches  leaning  against  the  boundary.  A 
pensioner  of  the  nuns  of  the  adjacent  convent,  with  the 
roof  of  red  tiles  and  a  belfry,  he  mumbles  garrulous 
reminiscences  to  himself,  seated  on  the  wall,  and  it  is  to 
be  feared  reviles  those  passers-by  who  neglect  to  bestow 
money  on  him.  All  about  the  spot  grow  cypress-trees, 
aloes,  and  oleanders,  loading  the  air  with  sweetness,  while 
to  the  left  opens  a  retrospective  glimpse  of  the  coast,  with 
Genoa  shining  like  a  pearl  on  her  purple  promontory  in 
the  warm  light,  a  vision  more  beautiful  than  dreams. 
How  does  it  happen  that  you  stand  beside  the  ancient 
mariner  on  the  white  and  dusty  road,  and  observe  the 
ebbing  of  the  tide  in  a  so-called  "  tidcless"  sea,  the  waters 


ON  BOARD  THE  YACHT  REVERIE.  93 

baying  receded  far  beyond  the  usual  line  of  foam  and  low 
rocks,  fringed  with  Bea-weeds,  rifts  of  sand,  and  margins 
of  pebbles  revealed  in  naked  ugliness  ?  A  woman  with 
kilted  gown,  and  a  basket  in  which  to  gather  some  fruit 
of  llif  sea,  is  walking  ont  through  the  ripples,  followed 
by  a  Little  yellow  dog.  The  dog  is  puzzled,  curious,  and 
half  afraid,  as  he  splashes  into  a  pool  occasionally,  and 
scrambles  0U1  again.  This  withdrawal  of  the  sea  is  sinis- 
ter, even  menacing.  One  dreads  the  sweeping  in  of  sonic 
reclining  tidal  wave. 

"What  does  it  mean?"  you  demand  of  the  ancient 
mariner. 

He  shakes  his  head  and  shades  his  eyes  with  one  knotted 
brown  hand.  "Who  knows?'"  he  rejoins.  "Who  ever 
knows  what  may  happen?" 

The  next  moment  the  shoe-craft  is  skirting  Savona,  with- 
out danger  of  collision  with  the  throng  of  British  ships  in 
the  second  coal-importing  port  of  Italy.  Time  was  when 
the  sailors  of  Savona,  Noli,  and  Albenga  won  for  them- 
selves especial  privileges  after  the  wars  of  Palestine.  In 
1528  Genoa  sunk  hulks  filled  with  stone  in  the  harbor,  in 
rebuke  of  a  too  ambitious  daughter.  One  of  the  tales  of 
theft  of  Napoleon  I.  lingers  at  Savona  in  the  accusation 
of  attempting  to  abstract  the  Fisherman's  ring  from  the 
desk  of  Pope  Pius  VII.,  when  the  latter  was  detained  a 
prisoner  here. 

Albenga  has  been  quaintly  described  by  Giustiniani  as  a 
city  abounding  in  mariners,  armorers,  and  hemp,  situated 
in  a  valley  fertile  with  grain,  oil,  and  wine.  To  the  left 
hand  of  the  modern  town,  with  her  ruins  of  ancient  castles 
and  cathedral  framed  in  distant  mountain-ranges,  and 
opposite  the  rocky  island  of  Gallinaria,  once  teeming  with 
rabbits,  crowned  with  a  tower,  there  is  a  garden  where 
dwells  a  philosopher  from  the  far  north  of  Europe,  at  peace 
with  all  the  world.  Was  ever  retreat  better  chosen  ?  One 
i*  reminded  of  Virgil's  words  :  — 


94  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

"  I  remember  that  under  the  lofty  turrets  of  ^Ebalia,  where 
black  Galaesus  moistens  the  yellow  fields,  I  saw  an  old  Corycian, 
to  whom  belonged  a  few  acres  of  neglected  land,  not  rich 
enough  for  the  plough,  nor  fit  for  grazing,  nor  kindly  for  vines ; 
yet  here  planting  among  the  bushes  pot  herbs,  white  lilies,  ver- 
vain, and  slender  poppies,  he  matched  in  his  content  the  wealth 
of  kings.  He  was  first  to  gather  the  rose  in  spring,  and  fruit 
in  autumn ;  and  even  while  stern  winter  was  splitting  the  rocks 
with  cold,  and  bridling  the  rivers  with  ice,  in  that  very  season 
he  would  pluck  the  tender  hyacinth,  chiding  the  late  spriug  and 
the  tardy  zephyrs.  His  teeming  bees  were  the  first  to  swarm ; 
he  was  the  first  to  strain  the  frothing  honey  from  the  pressed 
combs :  abundant  limes  and  pines  were  his." 

On  the  height  the  morning  sun  shines  on  a  weather-beaten 
little  town  perched  on  a  crag  of  rock.  From  the  distance 
out  at  sea  of  yonder  fleet  of  fishing-boats  the  hamlet  must 
be  a  heap  of  stones,  left  by  the  Saracens,  scarcely  distin- 
guishable from  the  cliff.  Here  the  walls,  amber,  brown, 
and  gray,  seamed,  broken,  and  distorted,  with  an  occasional 
aperture  of  barred  casement,  yawning  doorway,  and  black 
shadow  of  narrow  street,  are  distinctly  visible.  A  woman 
with  dishevelled  hair  emerges  on  the  path  leading  to  the 
bridge  across  the  chasm.  Her  haggard  mien  and  irreso- 
lute movements  betray  that  she  is  mad,  and  has  escaped 
from  the  chamber  in  one  of  those  dilapidated  houses  where 
she  has  been  beating  out  her  life  for  the  past  twenty  years. 
An  English  spinster  sits  on  the  slope  sketching  the  fishing 
fleet,  a  tiny  porcelain  palette  much  dabbled  with  ultra- 
marine tints  held  on  her  thumb.  The  mad  woman  observes 
her,  hesitates,  crouches  low,  and  glides  past.  The  paralyzed 
gentleman  drives  around  the  bend  of  road,  in  his  bath 
chair,  drawn  by  a  donkey,  led  by  a  boy.  The  invalid 
yawns  under  his  silk  umbrella,  and  wishes  the  spring  were 
only  sufficiently  far  advanced  to  seek  Varese  or  Lake 
Maggiore.     The  mad  woman  shrinks  behind  a  carouba-tree 


ON  BOARD  THE  YACHT  REVERIE.  95 

with  bated  breath.  The  unconscious  spinster  hums  a  song 
as  she  mixes  more  ultramarine  on  the  palette,  and  agree- 
able thoughts  of  the  Grosvenor  Gallery  fill  her  mind.  Is 
not  this  the  garden  of  Eden?  Geraniums  tuft  all  the  walls 
with  great  masses  of  bloom,  sweet-scented  thyme,  scarlet 
ranunculus,  fleshy  leaved  mesembryanthemum,  abound, 
while  pink  and  white  gumcistus,  golden  cytisus,  and  lentisk 
skirt  the  slope.  The  pure  air  is  fragrant  with  the  mingled 
odors  of  countless  plants,  aromatic,  prickly,  and  often 
shielding  waxy  tissues  in  a  tough,  leathery  exterior  as  a 
protection  against  the  hot  sun.  The  sea  lures  the  maniac. 
Her  fixed  idea  is  the  escape  of  oblivion  beneath  the  crystal 
waves.  She  flits  to  the  bridge,  springs  on  the  parapet,  and 
extends  her  arms  to  the  waters  shimmering  far  below. 
Two  stalwart  brothers  have  tracked  her,  and  now  seize  her 
firmly.  She  writhes  fiercely,  then  submits  in  sullen  despair, 
and  the  trio  climb  the  hill  once  more.  Will  the  artistic 
lady  and  the  invalid  ever  know  of  the  eyes  which  glared  at 
them  in  frenzy,  and  the  sinewy  hand  of  danger  outstretched 
on  the  calm  morning  ? 

Down  on  the  brink  of  the  narrow  bay  another  little  town 
keeps  market-day  around  the  fountain  and  piazza.  A 
cluster  of  pepper-trees,  with  feathery  foliage,  and  bunches 
of  red  berries,  is  visible  above  a  garden  wall,  and  a  terrace 
gained  by  broad  flights  of  steps  leading  to  the  parish  church, 
which  is  decorated  with  damask  draperies  around  the  door. 
Booths  of  fishmongers,  vegetable  dealers,  merchants  of  gay 
handkerchiefs,  toys,  linen,  and  household  utensils  fill  the 
piazza,  which  is  flanked  by  a  cafe*,  with  a  large  window. 
The  girls  laugh  and  chatter  as  they  fill  their  copper  vessels 
at  the  fountain.  A  sister  of  Charity,  wearing  a  blue  robe, 
and  a  wide  winged  white  bonnet,  ascends  the  steps,  and 
enters  the  church.  Suddenly  a  young  steer  runs  across 
the  piazza.  A  panic  of  flight  and  confusion  ensue.  The 
booths  are  deserted,  people  rush  into  doorways,  and  stumble 


96  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

over  each  other  in  the  frantic  effort  to  escape.  The  animal 
pauses,  as  if  astonished  at  the  commotion  he  has  occasioned. 
He  has  broken  loose  from  the  cattle-yard  on  the  outskirts 
of  the  town,  whither  he  was  driven  with  a  herd  last  night. 
He  looks  innocent  enough,  small,  dove-colored,  and  slender, 
only  foam  gathers  about  the  mouth.  At  this  moment  a 
little  shepherd,  wearing  a  vest  of  sheepskin,  and  nibbling 
a  dried  chestnut  taken  from  his  pockets,  drives  a  flock  of 
sheep  along  the  shore,  aided  by  a  careworn  dog.  He  has 
come  across  the  mountains  from  Piedmont,  descending  by 
the  next  valley.  The  mad  steer  turns,  and  bolts  at  the  cafe 
window.  There  is  a  crash  of  glass,  several  shots,  a  cloud  of 
smoke,  shrieks,  and  groans.  The  little  shepherd,  with  his 
flock  of  sheep,  turns  the  bend  of  town-wall  and  shore,  and 
is  in  the  midst  of  the  market-place.  Here  is  an  incident 
of  real  life  which  will  suffice  for  excited  gossip  in  a  narrow 
sphere  for  a  week. 

A  gray  veil  of  olive-trees  enshrouds  thriving  Porto  Mau- 
rizio,  as  the  centre  of  the  oil-trade  of  the  district.  On  a 
terrace  stands  an  ancient  tree,  with  violets,  wild  tulips, 
arum,  and  periwinkles  growing  about  the  knotted  and 
twisted  roots.  Hither  troop  the  children  on  the  wintry 
afternoon,  the  half-grown  idiot  boy  with  the  pale  and  timid 
face  dragging  the  baby  in  a  clumsy  little  wagon  with 
wooden  wheels,  and  the  others  following,  one  girl  swinging 
a  bandana  handkerchief  tied  in  the  form  of  a  bag.  The 
olive-tree  reached,  the  merry  sprites  set  about  teasing  the 
idiot.  The  old  cruel  game  of  matching  nimble  wits  with 
feeble  faculties,  inherent  in  all  races,  is  played  over  again. 
The  tall,  limp  lad  is  sent  hurrying  back  toward  the  town 
in  obedience  to  a  paternal  summons.  When  he  returns 
the  wagon  is  overturned,  and  the  baby  has  vanished,  to- 
gether with  all  the  other  children.  Trembling  with  fright 
he  calls,  and  seeks  for  his  precious  charge  on  every  side, 
and  in  vain.     He  scats  himself  on  the  ground,  and  yields 


ON  BOARD  THE  YACHT  REVERIE.         97 

to  helpless  lamentations.  Then  the  baby,  sturdy,  rosy, 
clad  in  a  crimson  frock,  and  with  a  white  cotton  nightcap 
on  his  round  little  head,  which  makes  the  tiny  plebeian  re- 
semble the  portrait  of  King  Charles  of  England  in  the 
Academy  of  St.  Luke  at  Rome,  painted  in  royal  infancy, 
comes  creeping  through  the  bushes  on  his  hands  and  knees, 
while  the  older  fugitives  spring  forth  from  ambush  with 
shouts  of  glee.  The  idiot  nurse  embraces  the  baby,  and 
replaces  the  rogue  in  the  wagon.  The  girl  unties  the 
handkerchief,  and  spreads  it  on  the  grass.  The  contents 
consist  of  dry  crusts,  and  pieces  of  coarse,  dark  bread, 
smeared  with  olive  oil  by  some,  indulgent  mother  at  home. 
The  children  find  the  luncheon  delicious,  for  truly  says  the 
Italian  proverb,  "  Hunger  transmutes  beans  into  almonds." 
The  idiot  feeds  the  baby  with  bits  of  his  portion,  and  his 
tormentors  steal  the  remainder.  The  old  olive-tree,  with 
the  wild-flowers  growing  about  the  roots,  and  the  group  of 
children,  would  be  a  worthy  subject  for  an  artist. 

Two  aged  women  pause  in  the  road  to  the  eastward  of 
San  Remo,  distaff  in  hand.  Both  are  bent,  shrivelled, 
bronzed  by  sun  and  wind,  and  toilworn,  but  one  has  the 
sharply  accentuated  features,  with  the  drooping  curves  of 
lips  and  nostrils,  of  Michelangelo's  Fates  in  the  Pitti  Palace, 
while  the  countenance  of  the  other  is  mild  and  resigned. 
Behind  them  rises  the  ancient  town  of  San  Remo,  arch 
and  buttress  and  crowding  roof  culminating  in  the  Church 
of  the  Madonna  della  Costa,  and  the  Hospital  of  the  Lepers, 
the  whole  scene  enclosed  in  a  wide  sweep  of  hill,  olive  clad, 
merging  to  spaces  of  earth  and  rock  having  warm  tones  of 
ochre  and  russet-red.  The  ancient  chronicles  of  Genoa 
make  mention  of  the  Popes  sending  here  for  palms,  and 
the  Jews  of  Germany  for  fragrant  cedars  used  in  religious 
observance.  A  party  of  strangers  return  from  an  excur- 
sion in  the  direction  of  Taggia,  several  mounted  on  don- 
keys, and  others  on  foot.     The  ladies  pause  a  moment  to 


98  GENOA  THE  SUPEliB. 

watch  the  deft  manipulation  of  the  distaff  in  the  bony  lin- 
gers of  the  crones  in  an  age  of  machine  spinning. 

"  Why  do  they  stare  at  us  as  if  we  were  animals  ?"  mut- 
ters the  Fate,  with  her  eyes  lixed  on  the  ground. 

"  Eh,  Patience  !  "  responds  her  companion.  "  It  may 
not  be  the  custom  of  their  country  to  spin." 

In  her  tolerance  of  others  the  latter  shows  herself  to  be 
a  citizen  of  the  world. 

The  soft,  gray  atmosphere  of  olive-clad  hill,  cloudy  sky, 
and  silvery  sea  are  typical  of  the  tranquillity  of  old  age,  with 
that  underlying  meaning  of  a  religious  chord  in  the  symbo- 
lism of  certain  trees  employed  by  diverse  creeds,  the  palm 
for  Rome,  and  the  cedar  for  ancient  synagogues  of  Germany. 

The  palms  of  Bordighera,  that  "  bit  of  Africa "  on  the 
coast,  rise  in  delicately  pencilled  fronds  toward  a  sky  of 
purest  blue  warming  to  sunset  gold  on  the  horizon,  guarded 
by  the  town  rampart.  Down  on  the  shore  where  the  white 
crested  waves  break  their  foam  on  the  shingle  the  fisher- 
man is  weaving  a  dip-net  for  the  purpose  of  dredging  tiny 
shell-fish  of  the  clam  and  mussel  families  where  shallow 
beaches  permit.  He  utilizes  two  rush-bottomed  chairs  for 
a  loom.  He  is  a  short  and  swarthy  man,  with  curling  hair 
and  beard,  almost  woolly  in  texture,  cheek  and  neck  burned 
to  a  deep  mahogany  tint  by  the  summer  sun,  and  a  cast  of 
feature  suggestive  of  Tunis,  Morocco,  and  Algiers.  He 
wears  a  blue  Jersey  shirt,  and  the  invariable  red  cap.  He 
is  spinning  a  yarn  to  a  circle  of  attentive  listeners,  now 
pausing  in  his  work  to  wave  his  arms,  or  to  snap  his  fin- 
gers. Old  men,  women  with  babies  in  their  arms,  and  chil- 
dren lying  prone  on  the  ground,  with  their  gaze  fixed  on 
the  narrator,  are  held  spell-bound.  Are  the  story-tellers 
who  transport  their  audience  out  of  a  sphere  of  care,  sor- 
row, and  illness  all  dead  ?  Does  the  fisherman  truly  be- 
long to  Africa,  where  the  Oriental  imagination  of  the  Thou- 
sand and  One  Nights  may  still  charm  the  Harem,  the  cafe*, 


ON  BOARD  THE  YACHT  REVERIE.         99 

and  the  tent  in  the  desert  ?  Must  we  relegate  the  group  on 
the  Bordighera  shore  to  the  childhood  of  the  human  race, 
in  our  superiority  of  Pessimism  ?  The  warm,  orange  glow 
of  sunset  deepens,  gilding  the  stems  of  the  palms,  and 
sparkling  on  the  rocky  sides  of  the  promontory  as  on 
masses  of  crude  metals,  granite,  or  porphyry,  veined  with 
copper.  The  Arab  gave  to  the  Riviera  the  cork-tree,  the 
Saracen  wheat  (ble  Sarraziri),  pumps  for  irrigation,  the  art 
of  moulding  water-jars,  norias,  rice,  sugar,  cotton,  saffron, 
and  flax.  As  a  gardener  he  planted  the  palm,  the  peach, 
the  Bushra  rose,  and  left  the  name  of  yasmyn  (Jasmine), 
leymoun  (lemon),  and  salatha  for  salad.  As  a  botanist 
and  surgeon  he  was,  with  the  Jew,  at  the  very  cradle  of 
modern  science,  and  far  in  advance  of  Christian  leeches 
in  the  compounding  of  elixirs,  juleps,  and  syrups.  Poets 
learned  to  rhyme  of  him,  and  astronomers  the  use  of  globes. 
As  a  cook  are  there  not  national  dishes  in  the  kitchen  of 
the  Littoral  compounded  of  rice,  tomatoes,  and  pigeons  of 
Moorish  origin? 

Ah,  Ventimiglia,  shining  in  the  sun,  scene  of  prosaic  cus- 
tom-house espionage  of  the  frontier,  have  you  forgotten  the 
terrible  record  of  the  summer  of  1884,  when  the  Italian 
Minister  Depretis  sought  to  check  cholera,  flying  from 
France  on  the  swift  wing  of  pestilence,  by  a  land  quaran- 
tine, as  the  Royal  Physicians  of  Turin  bleed  the  House  of 
Savoy  for  lung  diseases  to  this  day  ? 

Mentone,  crowned  with  roses,  brimming  over  every  para- 
pet in  rank  luxuriance,  filling  all  parterres  with  rich  and 
dusky  bloom,  and  shedding  their  petals  on  the  breeze ! 
Dear  reader,  have  you  ever  lingered  in  the  East  Bay  until 
June,  when  the  winter  visitors  have  long  since  flitted  away  ? 
The  evening  sky  is  still  flecked  with  a  tinge  of  opalescence, 
like  the  lining  of  certain  shells,  and  the  calm  sea  is  flushed 
pink  and  pearl.  A  large  disk  of  moon  is  suspended  in  the 
transparent  heavens  before  her  light  is  perceptible.     The 


100  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

people  of  the  country  pass  along  the  quay,  the  girls  sing- 
ing canticles  to  the  Madonna  en  route  for  the  shrine  of 
pilgrimage  up  among  the  hills,  where  the  Piedmontese 
king,  Charles  Albert,  paused  to  pray  in  his  flight  to  Portu- 
gal, after  his  abdication.  In  June,  Mentone  mingles  roses 
with  the  blossoms  of  her  lemon  groves,  —  roses  as  perfect 
in  snowy  purity  as  Dante's  symbolical  flower  of  the  seventh 
heaven,  roses  as  aromatic  in  perfume  as  those  of  Gulistan. 
She  heaps  them  upon  her  tardy  guest,  like  a  prodigal 
queen,  until  the  languid  sweetness  becomes  a  waking  and 
a  sleeping  dream. 

The  shoe-boat  pauses  at  Cap  Martin.  How  to  decide 
as  to  the  most  beautiful  spot  on  earth  ?  The  writer  would 
give  the  preference  to  Cap  Martin,  bathed  by  the  sea, 
fringed  with  ancient  olive-trees,  and  with  that  marvellous 
amphitheatre  of  hills  enclosing  Mentone  on  the  line  of  water 
margin,  and  rising  to  the  bald,  gray  Berceau  in  bold  undula- 
tions of  form,  and  every  variety  of  hue,  green,  lilac,  purple, 
and  pearly  white,  as  the  clouds  sweep  past  overhead.  Time 
was  when  pious  nuns  occupied  a  convent  here,  and  the 
valiant  citizens  of  Mentone  promised  to  flock  to  their  aid 
if  they  rang  the  chapel  bell  as  a  signal  of  distress.  The 
nuns  sounded  the  bell  at  midnight  to  test  the  courage  of 
their  neighbors,  who  donned  armor,  and  sallied  forth  on  a 
fruitless  quest.  When  those  men  of  Mentone  again  heard 
the  convent  bell  they  failed  to  rally,  and  the  Saracens 
swept  down  on  the  convent,  and  carried  every  nun  into 
captivity. 

The  fisherman  balances  himself  in  his  light  boat  on  the 
shadowy  waves  at  evening.  He  has  filled  an  iron  basket 
with  glowing  fire  in  the  prow  to  attract  his  prey.  Sardine, 
anchovy,  sea-urchins,  or  black  mussels  are  all  welcome  to 
him  by  night  or  day.  He  attaches  a  bell  to  his  nets  which 
tinkles  with  such  a  weird  vibration  in  the  hours  of  dark- 
ness on  the  sea  as  on  the  Italian  lakes.     No  doubt  he  can 


ON  BOAED  THE  YACHT  REVERIE.        101 

compound  a  most  delectable  bouillabaisse  on  a  festa,  with 
plenty  of  garlic,  saffron,  and  oil.  He  is  a  native  of  Monaco, 
and  near  by  the  principality  stretches  out  into  the  sea, 
wearing  its  most  fairy-like,  if  artificial,  aspect  of  the  theatre 
scenery,  sparkling  with  electric  lights.  The  human  moths 
gather  around  the  lighted  Casino  of  Monte  Carlo  as  the 
lisherman's  basket  of  fire  in  the  boat's  prow  attracts  finny 
victims.  In  the  shadow  of  the  past  rests  the  Palace  of  the 
princes  of  Monaco  with  the  curious  chimney-piece  on  which 
may  be  deciphered :  The  man  who  pretends  to  know  God, 
and  does  not  keep  his  commandments,  is  a  liar.  The  his- 
tory of  Genoa  is  inseparably  interwoven  with  that  of  the 
tiny  tributary,  from  the  landing  here  of  Falco  di  Castello  in 
1215  with  ships  loaded  with  wood,  lime,  and  iron  to  lay 
the  foundations  of  the  Palace,  the  exile  and  rebellion  of 
many  members  of  the  Grimaldi  family,  to  Honore"  III., 
Marshal  under  Louis  XV.,  who  succeeded  Duke  Valentinois, 
visited  Genoa,  and  fell  in  love  with  Caterina  Brignole-Sale, 
niece  of  Francesco  Brignole-Sale,  former  Doge,  when  the 
nice  point  of  etiquette  in  precedence  exacted  that  bride  and 
bridegroom  should  each  advance  a  step  on  the  bridge  of  the 
vessel.  The  present,  with  its  Casino  and  myriad  stars 
of  light,  is  an  anomaly.  A  prince  of  Monaco  recalls 
a  genre  picture.  How  imagine  him  otherwise  than  as 
a  courtier,  with  lace  ruffles,  plumed  hat,  shoe-buckles, 
and  jewelled  snuff-box  ?  Louis  I.,  who  married  Charlotte 
de  Gramont  of  the  household  of  Henrietta,  Duchess  of 
Orleans,  and  was  the  rival  of  Charles  II.  of  England  in 
the  favors  of  the  Duchess  of  Mazarin,  best  embodies  the 
portrait. 

Farther  along  the  coast  the  well  of  St.  Honorat  still 
gives  drink  to  the  thirsty,  on  the  Isle  de  LeVins,  opposite 
Cannes,  in  the  famous  monastery  of  legend  and  learning, 
where  in  1107,  as  Saint  Porcaire,  the  abbot,  celebrated 
Mass,  the  white  turbans  of  the  Saracens  appeared  in  the 


102  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

doorway,  and  the  monks  bit  the  dust.  The  adjacent  Castle 
of  St.  Marguerite  tells  no  tales  to  the  lapsing  waves  of  the 
escape  of  Marshal  Bazaine,  or  the  earlier  imprisonment  of 
the  Man  with  the  Iron  Mask. 

In  the  far  distance  bask  the  Golden  Isles  of  Hyeres,  so- 
called  from  the  orange,  aurea  poma,  thriving  there.  A 
monk,  supposed  to  be  of  Genoese  origin,  was  elected  libra- 
rian of  the  most  important  convent  of  the  Isles,  in  the 
thirteenth  century.  He  described  the  trees,  birds,  and 
environs,  and  discovering  in  the  library  two  volumes  of  a 
predecessor,  containing  the  lives  of  several  Provencal  poets, 
as  well  as  records  of  ancient  families  of  Aragon,  Provence, 
and  Italy,  with  their  arms  and  insignia,  copied  the  work  on 
fine  parchment,  richly  adorned  with  miniatures,  and  sent 
the  gift  to  Alfonso  V.  as  a  patron  of  letters. 

The  roses  cling  about  the  old  towns,  shedding  their 
sweetness  on  the  dark  and  narrow  streets  of  St.  Paul- 
du-Var  and  Yilleneuve-Loubet,  and  clothing  in  luxuriant 
sprays  the  terraces  and  steps  of  Gourdon-sur-lc-Loup  or 
Vence. 

The  shoe-boat  casts  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Yillefranche, 
and  the  towers  and  walls  of  the  town  loom  overhead,  while 
cypress,  aloe,  terebinth,  and  roses  fringe  the  shore.  Ville- 
franche  is  the  beautiful  woman  of  the  Mediterranean,  who, 
like  the  Oriental,  gazes  at  her  image  reflected  in  the  pure 
depths,  and  casts  the  blossom  of  the  Asoka-tree  into  the 
bath  to  enhance  her  charms.  Science  reads  a  more  serious 
lesson  in  the  lovely  roadstead,  for  Haeckel  in  1864  dis- 
covered here  the  first  principle  of  life  in  the  little  gluti- 
nous masses  of  balls  invisible  to  the  naked  eye  attached  to 
the  rocks,  and  in  the  sea. 

The  mandolin  buzzes  more  insistently  in  the  ear,  played 
by  the  old  actor,  and  a  fresh  wave  of  scent  is  perceptible  as 
the  old  actress  rearranges  the  roses  of  her  basket.  You 
are  seated  on  the  terrace  of  the  old  villa  at  Pegli,  and  down 


ON  BOARD  THE  YACHT  REVERIE.        103 

on  the  shore  the  little  Genoese  Beppo  is  floating  his  clumsy 
bit  of  a  boat.  None  the  less  you  have  made  a  voyage  along 
the  western  Riviera. 

"  Within  the  branching  shade  of  Reverie 
Dreams,  even,  may  spring  till  autumn." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A  MEDITERRANEAN   SEA-SHELL. 

T3  EYOND  her  shelter  of  port  the  natural  gateway  of  sea 
-*-^  opens  for  Genoa.  The  gaze  of  her  children  has  ever 
turned  to  this  vast  highway  of  the  nations  with  the  longings 
of  ambition  to  excel  in  military  prowess,  animated  by  the 
bold  spirit  of  exploration,  or  scheming  to  acquire  wealth 
in  distant  colonies. 

On  a  day  of  boisterous  March  weather  you  have  lingered 
long  in  the  studio  of  the  English  artist  on  the  height  of 
Carignano.  Masses  of  cloud  rob  the  city  and  the  hills  of 
beauty  of  coloring,  while  the  sea,  agitated  and  noisy,  with 
greenish  reflections  on  the  heaving  billows,  encroaches  on 
the  land  as  it  were,  and  asserts  a  complete  supremacy.  A 
majolica  group  occupies  a  bracket  on  the  wall,  representing 
Nereus,  with  hair  and  beard  of  sea-weed,  whose  empire  ex- 
tends over  the  bottom  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  at  his  feet 
Triton,  son  of  Poseidon,  riding  a  sea-horse,  and  blowing  on 
a  conch  shell  to  calm  the  waves,  while  the  winds  form  a 
group  around  the  pedestal,  dominated  by  Eolus,  as  master, 
Boreas,  the  north  wind,  and  Eurus,  the  east  wind,  in 
threatening  attitudes,  Notus,  the  south  wind,  and  Zephyrus, 
the  west  wind,  floating  with  languid  grace  of  movement. 
"  He  is  a  great  friend  of  mine,  old  Nereus,"  the  artist 
remarks.  "  Fancy  living  far  removed  from  his  realm ! 
He  very  nearly  received  an  unceremonious  visit  from  me 
last  spring  in  his  favorite  residence  of  the  iEgean  Sea  by 


View  of  the  Water  Front,  Genoa. 


A  MEDITERRANEAN   SEA-SIIELL.  105 

the  capsizing  of  a  boat  from  my  cousin's  yacht.  The  group 
is  rather  a  good  specimen  of  modern  Ginori  of  Florence." 

He  seeks  a  ring  in  a  mosaic  cabinet  and  slips  it  on  your 
finger,  with  a  smile.  The  amethyst,  set  in  gold,  is  an  imi- 
tat  ion  of  those  ancient  gems  on  which  a  Nereid  is  engraved. 
By  holding  the  stone  to  the  light  of  the  window  the  tiny 
figure,  half  maiden  and  half  fish,  of  one  of  the  fifty  daugh- 
ters of  the  classic  sea  who  were  kind  to  sailors,  appears  to 
float  on  summer  waves. 

"  Keep  it  for  a  souvenir  of  the  Mediterranean,"  adds  the 
artist,  as  you  depart. 

What  if  one  sought  the  vicinity  of  the  light-house,  at 
least,  to  look  at  the  turbulent  sea  lashed  into  billows  by 
such  a  wind  ?  You  are  not  destined  to  reach  the  shore  on 
this  occasion.  Quitting  the  Piazza  San  Felice,  and  descend- 
ing the  hill  by  a  flight  of  steps  toward  the  port  to  avoid 
the  rude  gusts  pervading  wider  thoroughfares,  you  are 
blown  by  chance  into  a  narrow  and  obscure  vicolo.  Over- 
head the  tiles  of  the  roofs  and  the  weathercocks  creak  and 
rattle,  and  bits  of  paper,  straws,  and  dust  eddy  around 
corners  of  branching  alleys  and  tiny  squares. 

You  pause  before  the  window  of  a  shop  where  the  gleam 
of  pearly  shells,  coral,  and  models  of  boats  of  cork  and 
wood  attract  the  eye  even  in  the  obscurity.  You  enter  the 
small  and  dark  place.  An  indescribable  smell  greets  the 
olfactory  nerves,  which  seems  to  be  blended  of  tobacco,  the 
pungency  of  dried  sea-weeds,  salt,  and  fried  fish  as  emana- 
ting from  adjacent  living-rooms.  The  shop  is  scarcely 
more  than  a  nook  hollowed  out  of  the  wall  of  an  ancient 
and  massive  building  like  the  recesses  of  the  merchants  of 
an  oriental  bazaar,  and  resembles  a  ship's  cabin ;  for 
crowded  as  it  is  with  curious  objects,  there  is  a  certain  cle- 
ment of  order  perceptible  in  the  stowing  away  of  boxes  and 
cases,  and  the  suspension  of  sea-fans,  finger-sponges,  nets, 
and  paddles  across  the  low  ceiling,  or  on  the  walls.     The 


106  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

proprietor  is  a  relic  of  the  sea,  characteristic  of  all  ports, 
with  a  good-humored,  rubicund  countenance,  long  white 
hair  and  beard,  and  a  wooden  leg  that  taps  on  the  floor  as 
he  moves  about  his  kingdom.  A  woman  pauses  in  the  door 
in  the  rear  of  the  premises  occasionally,  and  little  grand- 
children run  in  to  aid  with  the  business.  He  beams  a 
welcome  on  a  possible  customer. 

What  does  the  shop  contain  ?  What  does  the  shop  not 
contain  ?  In  one  corner  there  is  a  standard  of  the  weapons 
used  by  the  natives  of  Cuba,  Mexico,  and  the  Islands  of  the 
Pacific,  together  with  a  quiver  of  arrows,  and  some  javelins 
of  cane,  with  plumed  notches,  that  Columbus  might  have 
brought  to  Europe  in  returning  from  his  voyages.  An 
Arctic  fox  stands  opposite,  and  above,  on  a  shelf,  a  little 
Auk,  with  some  dried  specimens  of  the  Lapland  moss  used 
for  bedding,  the  Polytrichum  commune  of  Linnaeus.  And 
the  shells  ?  The  cases,  the  shelves,  the  window,  are  brim- 
ming over  with  shells  of  every  variety  of  size,  convolution, 
and  hue.  Choice  among  all  these  treasures  becomes  be- 
wildering,—  shells  from  the  reefs  of  the  Red  Sea,  with 
filaments  of  the  algae  attached,  oscillatoria  rubescens,  which 
imparts  color  to  those  waters,  from  the  beaches  of  Corsica, 
and  the  tiny,  transparent  rice-shells  used  to  make  the 
flowers  of  the  West  Indies.  A  wampum  belt,  a  hioqua 
shell,  a  handful  of  clustering  whelks  taken  from  the 
bowlders,  and  a  string  of  cowries  occupy  a  wooden  platter 
in  the  window.  The  Arctic  sea-clam,  Mya  truncata,  and 
dull  little  shells  found  amidst  the  half-melted  snows  of 
streams  in  the  Polar  Zone  are  heaped  with  the  Limacina, 
the  Neptumea,  the  Helix,  the  Nautilus  from  floating  kelp, 
and  specimens  of  the  famous  Murex  which  once  furnished 
the  purple  dye  of  Tyre.  A  shield  of  rhinoceros-hide 
hangs  on  a  nail,  and  a  tortoise  shell  that  might  have  been 
chorded  by  Jubal,  for  the  first  lyre,  rests  on  a  bracket. 
Large  bivalves  of  the  Mytilus  and  Pinna  marina  class  have 


A  aiEDITERRANEAN  SEA-SHELL.  107 

been  polished  in  order  that  their  inner  surface  of  pearl  and 
rich,  carnelian  red  tints  may  tempt  amateurs  to  paint  tiny 
pictures  of  the  blue  sea  and  boats,  or  the  silvery  white  out- 
line of  the  Apennines,  when  seated  on  the  piers  of  Leghorn 
and  Viareggio  during  the  bathing  season.  A  Luticorin, 
the  great  pink  conch  shell  of  Ceylon,  gathers  all  the  color 
and  the  pearly  iridescence  of  a  case,  as  if  reflecting  the 
rainbow  prism  of  tropical  waters. 

The  old  shopkeeper  is  garrulous.  He  speaks  English, 
with  racy  inflections,  and  odd  turns  of  expression,  inter- 
larded with  French.  The  little  grandchildren  regard  him 
respectfully  the  while,  with  dilating  black  eyes.  He  has 
been  a  follower  of  the  sea,  and  has  several  times  sailed 
around  the  globe.  Formerly  he  collected  these  marine 
curiosities  on  his  voyages,  but  now  his  son-in-law,  cousins, 
and  old  mates  bring  them  to  him  in  returning  home  to 
Genoa. 

A  string  of  amber  beads  swings  in  the  window,  so  rich  in 
the  warm  hues  of  the  topaz  that  it  might  have  been  the 
collar  given  by  the  early  Phoenician  merchant  to  the  king 
of  Syria  for  the  queen.  The  visitor  would  not  be  surprised 
if  the  mariner  drew  forth,  slyly,  from  a  coffer  covered  with 
faded  red  velvet,  a  rope  of  pearls  such  as  a  Venetian  dame 
of  the  fifteenth  century  might  have  worn,  those  lustrous 
gems  of  ocean  depths  believed  to  be  drops  of  dew  or  rain 
congealed  within  the  shell  of  the  oyster  by  Pliny  and 
Marco  Polo.  As  it  is,  he  produces  from  a  box  the  spike  of 
a  sea  lion's  mustache,  such  as  the  Chinese  use  to  clean 
opium  pipes.  He  displays  with  the  curious  mixture  of  re- 
spect and  contempt  of  the  sailor,  accustomed  to  mingling 
with  many  races,  a  fossil  ammonite,  wrapped  in  a  morsel 
of  lustrous  stuff  which  might  have  been  woven  from  the 
silky  byssus  of  one  of  his  own  shells.  This  is  a  salagram, 
the  talisman  of  the  Hindu,  too  sacred  to  be  mentioned, 
and  placed  near  a  dying  person.     Vishnu  is  believed  to  be 


108  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

crystallized  within  the  walls  of  silex  and  violet  quartz  of 
the  chambered  convolutions  of  the  ammonite. 

You  seek  among  the  stores  of  delicate,  prickly  Pinnae, 
and  the  Strombi,  all  rosy  cameo  surface  within,  and  take 
up  a  conch  shell,  white,  with  pale  amber  lines  of  coloring, 
which  might  have  served  as  Triton's  trumpet. 

"  Sinuous  shells  of  pearly  hue 
Within,  and  they  that  lustre  have  imhibed 
In  the  Sun's  palace-porch,  where  when  unyoked 
His  chariot-wheel  stands  midway  in  the  wave  ; 
Shake  one  and  it  awakens  ;  then  apply 
Its  polished  lips  to  your  attentive  ear, 
And  it  remembers  its  august  abodes, 
And  murmurs,  as  the  ocean  murmurs  there." 


THE    ROOT. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

THE   BRONZE   TABLET. 

GENOA  in  a  fog,  soft,  white  vapor  obliterating  boun- 
dary wall,  roof,  and  tower  in  an  impalpable  mist,  — 
such  is  the  atmosphere  of  Saint  Anthony's  festa,  January 
17.  Genoa,  the  modern  seaport  and  chief  commercial 
town  of  Italy,  teeming  with  the  activity  of  traffic,  has 
ceased  to  exist,  —  while  the  fog  lasts.  At  such  a  moment 
all  the  fables  of  the  origin  of  the  Sea  City  in  remote  an- 
tiquity have  full  sway  over  the  mind.  Giano,  king  of  the 
Aborigines,  founded  the  site  of  the  central  mart  of  the 
Ligurian  coast,  with  the  speedy  derivation  of  the  name  of 
Genoa  for  the  town.  Such  is  one  theory  of  settlement. 
Above  the  arches  which  separate  the  nave  from  the  aisles 
of  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Lawrence  is  an  inscription  in 
Gothic  characters  proclaiming  that  Janus,  the  great  grand- 
son of  Noah,  and,  in  addition,  another  Janus  from  Troy, 
dwelt  here  later.  This  fantastic  confusion  of  myth  is  not 
devoid  of  charm  on  the  morning  of  fog.  Why  may  we 
not  contemplate  the  fleeting,  misty  form  of  Noah's  great- 
grandson  as  planting  his  standard  of  home  on  this  spot  as 
well  as  the  Ark  floating  up  to  the  height  of  ancient  Fiesole 
instead  of  stranding  on  Mount  Ararat,  according  to  grave 
Florentine  historians?  Still  another  and  more  practical 
theory  of  the  christening  of  the  city  is  that  the  name  of 
Genua,  Janus,  or  Janua,  was  derived  from  the  port,  or  a 
gateway  of  the  sea,  affording  an  easy  entrance  as  of  an 


110  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

open  door  to  Lombardy,  Piedmont,  and  Tuscany.  In  the 
books,  or  records,  of  the  ancient  Latins  the  name  of  Genua 
is  employed,  while  the  Greeks  called  the  infant  colony 
Genoa,  —  as  did  Ptolomeo  in  his  Cosmography.  In  Spanish, 
Arabic,  French,  and  Tuscan  the  accepted  modification  be- 
came Genova.  The  most  attractive  of  all  the  legends,  and 
the  one  most  readily  adopted  by  the  winter  visitor  from 
distant  and  dreary  latitudes  of  the  North,  is  that  Janus,  or 
Dianus,  god  of  the  sun,  chose  this  favored  region  whereon 
his  royal  beams  might  bask,  built  on  the  brink  of  the  sea, 
and  sheltered  by  the  mountains  from  the  rudest  winds. 

The  soft,  white  fog  is  not  more  obscure  than  the  mystery 
of  the  sources  whence  emanated  the  human  race,  or  more 
baffling  than  an  attempt  to  trace  the  great  waves  of  popu- 
lation to  the  cradle.  All  speculations  on  the  subject  lapse 
to  reveries  more  vague  than  the  swathing  wreaths  of  haze 
concealing  the  squares,  churches,  and  lofty  palaces  of 
Genoa.  If  Aristotle  and  Plato  believed  that  the  first  race 
perished,  and  only  a  few  survivors  escaped  to  found  new 
nations,  the  Jews  of  the  second  Temple  mused  on  a  gener- 
ation of  giants  long  passed  away  from  earth,  while  the 
Greeks  dreamed  of  the  state  of  man  before  the  Deluge  of 
Deucalion.  The  billows  that  swept  over  Italy  were  the 
Siculians,  the  most  ancient  people  mentioned  in  history, 
the  Osques,  the  Umbrians,  the  Etruscans,  Tyrrhenians, 
and  Ligurians,  each  dominated  in  time  by  Roman 
supremacy. 

Rome  early  appreciated  the  importance  of  the  situation 
of  Genoa.  Facts  more  or  less  authentic  pierce  the  shift- 
ing vapors  of  myth  and  fancy.  Genoa  existed  b.  c.  290, 
and  held  the  presidency  of  the  surrounding  country. 
Titus  Livius  mentions  the  destruction  of  the  place  by 
the  Carthaginians,  and  the  subsequent  rebuilding  of  the 
town  wall  by  the  Roman  senator  Spurius  Lucretius.  If 
Marseilles  was  founded  in  the  forty-fifth  Olympiad,  and 


THE   BRONZE   TABLET.  Ill 

Pisa  was  clearly  first  a  Greek  settlement  at  the  date  when 
the  latter  became  a  Roman  colony,  Genoa  was  the  market 
whither  Ventimiglia,  Albenga,  and  other  towns  brought 
their  wares  for  sale  and  barter.  Genoa  subsisted  on  sheep, 
milk,  barley,  and  the  harvests  of  the  sea  and  the  adjacent 
mountains.  She  dealt  in  honey,  wax,  and  rosin.  Wool 
was  abundant  in  her  fold,  and  she  early  mastered  the  craft 
of  weaving  the  fleeces  of  the  flocks  covering  the  Alps 
and  the  Apennines.  Modena  and  Padua  wrought  soft  and 
sumptuous  fabrics  for  the  Roman  world,  carpets,  and  gar- 
ments, but  the  rough  wool  of  Genoa  sufficed  for  the  habi- 
liments of  Liguria  in  domestic  use.  In  the  course  of 
centuries  the  wines  of  Italy,  Cyprus,  and  Crete,  sweet 
fruits,  precious  metals  and  jewels,  spices  and  drugs  of  the 
far  East,  found  their  way  as  commodities  to  the  same 
emporium. 

According  to  some  authorities  the  name  of  Genoa  was 
first  mentioned  in  the  second  Punic  war,  on  the  arrival  of 
Hannibal  in  Italy.  A  few  years  later  the  Carthaginian 
Magon  burned  and  pillaged  the  town.  Another  curious 
statement  is  that  Belisarius,  coming  to  Italy,  established 
a  governor  named  Bonus  at  Genoa  in  539.  Still  more 
suggestive  is  the  affirmation  that  Theodoric  the  Goth, 
whose  yoke  was  imposed  on  Genoa,  previously  despised 
as  a  nucleus  of  fisher-folk  down  on  the  Mediterranean 
shore  below  the  hills,  granted  certain  privileges  to  a  body 
of  Jews,  whose  synagogue  had  been  demolished,  of  restor- 
ing their  sanctuary.  "  No  one  is  constrained  to  believe 
against  his  own  conscience,"  were  the  words  of  the  so- 
called  barbarian. 

Reliable  history  of  Genoa  is  reputed  to  begin  only  with 
the  tenth  century.  The  Archbishop  Jacopo  da  Varagine 
has  been  severely  censured  by  later  critics  and  historians 
for  losing  himself  in  the  fog  of  early  fables.  On  the  other 
hand,  partisans  of  the  learned  ecclesiastic  of  1292  attribute 


112  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

to  him  the  glory  of  having  first  translated  the  Holy 
Scriptures  into  Italian.  He  published  many  sermons,  a 
brief  chronicle  of  Genoa,  and  compiled  the  lives  of  the 
saints,  under  the  title  of  the  "  Aurea  Leggenda,"  which  was 
rendered  into  all  vulgar  tongues,  and  won  the  author  much 
reputation,  despite  certain  defects  of  style.  The  fame  of 
this  poor  archbishop  with  posterity  has  been  clouded  by 
the  fact  that  another  of  his  name,  century,  and  religious 
order,  bishop  or  monk,  also  wrote.  To  the  latter  is  as- 
cribed a  chronicle  of  the  Holy  Land,  and  a  dissertation  on 
the  game  of  chess,  in  Latin,  discovered  by  Muratori  in 
the  recesses  of  a  library. 

Pause  near  the  window,  and  glance  over  these  old  vol- 
umes. The  white  light  of  the  fog  renders  the  casement 
like  ground  glass.  Here  is  a  fragment  of  shrivelled 
parchment,  with  psalms,  prayers,  and  orisons  printed  on 
both  sides  of  the  sheet  in  Latin.  One  is  reminded  of  the 
anecdotes  about  early  printing,  when  Laurence  cut  char- 
acters on  a  bit  of  bark  and  wrapped  it  in  paper,  in  the 
woods  of  Harlem,  only  to  discover  that  the  covering, 
moistened  accidentally  by  the  rain,  had  reproduced  the 
letters ;  or  Maso  di  Finiguerra  of  Florence  suffered  the 
damp  linen  to  be  thrown  over  fine  metal-work,  which 
would  ultimately  lead  by  the  impression  received  on  the 
stuff  to  line  engraving  and  aquaforte  design.  An  illumi- 
nated scroll  of  a  sonnet,  doubtless  inscribed  by  some 
Ligurian  poet  to  a  fair  Genoese  lady,  beautifully  written 
by  a  copyist  of  the  fifteenth  century,  possibly  blooms  in 
the  window  beside  the  ancient  parchment,  framed  with 
golden  arabesque  and  zones  of  blue  between  interlacing 
foliage,  with  allegorical  device  of  Venus,  the  Graces,  and 
rosy  cherubs  fluttering  down  the  page.  The  cherubs  have 
a  piteous  and  faded  mien,  as  if  demanding  of  a  world 
where  printing  had  been  established  by  three  men,  Guten- 
berg, Fust,  and  Schoeffer,  and  was  already   flourishing  in 


THE   BRONZE   TABLET.  113 

nine  cities  of  Italy,  what  fate  of  oblivion  was  in  store  for 
the  graceful  craft  that  had  delineated  their  dimpled  limbs  ? 
The  Genoese  copyists  petitioned  the  municipality  to  con- 
tinue certain  privileges  of  work  in  favor  of  their  impover- 
ished families.  What  became  of  the  copyists  and  illumi- 
nators later  ?  The  monks  of  certain  great  religious  orders 
might  still  dream  over  the  rainbow-tinted  sheets  of  missals 
and  choir-book,  but  the  secular  workers  evidently  went  to 
the  wall,  as  hand  labor  ever  yields  to  machinery,  —  the 
spider's  web  of  Belgian  lace  cushions  to  the  whirring 
bobbins  of  great  factories,  the  individual  toil  of  the  hus- 
bandman to  the  mechanical  rapidity  of  the  steam-driven 
plough  or  reaper  in  vast  harvest-fields,  in  the  revolutions 
of  progress  of  the  centuries. 

The  amateur  paleographer  has  placed  his  treasures, 
these  stray  fragments,  on  a  table  near  the  window.  He 
prides  himself  on  recognizing  the  date  of  a  manuscript 
by  means  of  the  ink  employed,  and  is  learned  in  the 
discussion  of  the  uncial  lettering  of  the  fifth  century, 
the  Runic  of  the  tenth,  and  the  quadrate  of  the  twelfth. 
To  the  uninitiated  visitor  the  first  bit  of  printed  paper 
possesses  the  value  of  a  link  between  the  most  perfect 
modern  volume  of  Boston,  New  York,  or  London  and 
the  earliest  inscriptions  on  the  walls  of  Hindustan  tombs 
and  Scandinavian  caverns,  in  Sanscrit  and  Runic  char- 
acters, the  writing  on  papyrus,  bark,  and  palm  leaves  of 
other  races. 

It  is  the  festival  of  Saint  Anthony,  patron  of  the  cattle 
and  the  friendly  pig.  Time  was  when  the  latter  domestic 
favorite  roamed  at  pleasure  about  the  streets  of  Genoa,  — 
no  doubt  in  honor  of  the  saint.  In  the  towns,  the  cab- 
men of  the  public  squares  offer  their  patrons  the  loaf  of 
blessed  bread  carried  on  a  dish  by  an  attendant  hostler, 
while  few  masters  of  stables  will  fail  to  have  the  premises 
sprinkled  with  holy  water;    and  the  young  grooms  place 

8 


114  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

a  flower  behind  each  horse's  ear  to  celebrate  the  auspicious 
day.  In  the  country,  no  doubt,  these  ceremonies  have 
more  gravity,  and  the  farmers  invoke  the  intercession 
of  good  Saint  Anthony  to  avert  accidents  or  distempers 
from  the  oxen,  cows,  and  mules  for  the  ensuing  twelve- 
month, with  the  aid  of  priest  and  acolyte. 

Up  in  the  Val  di  Polcevera,  one  of  the  two  valleys 
trending  inland  from  Genoa,  the  fog  is  less  dense.  The 
main  features  of  the  hamlets  scattered  through  the  coun- 
try are  unchanged  from  a  description  of  them  written 
in  the  Middle  Ages : 

"Around  the  parish  church  of  each  village  was  a  little  square 
planted  with  oaks  or  beech  trees,  where  they  hunted  the  cock, 
played  ball,  and  danced  some  national  dance  to  the  strains  of 
the piva  (bag-pipe),  the  most  popular  measure  being  the  Rug- 
gero.  The  houses  of  the  contadini  consisted  of  four  walls, 
divided  at  a  certain  height  by  a  mid-story  of  thin  boards. 
The  upper  chamber  was  connected  with  the  lower  by  means  of 
a  wooden  stairway.  The  entrance  door  gave  ingress  to  the 
domestic  hearth,  the  abode  of  the  cow,  the  calf,  and  the  ass, 
together  with  the  utensils  of  labor,  and  the  store  of  pro- 
visions. Here  the  mother  of  the  family  wove  and  spun,  when 
not  at  work  in  the  fields.  The  daughters  also  labored  in 
tasks  of  the  household,  making  the  pot  boil  over  the  fire  filled 
with  herbs,  seasoned  with  oil  and  salt,  a  portion  named  Pre- 
bugion.  The  upper  room  was  the  general  sleeping  chamber 
of  the  household." 

Such  must  have  been  the  home  of  Agostino  of  Piedi- 
montc,  in  the  parish  of  Izo  in  this  same  Valle  di  Pol- 
cevera, who  in  the  year  1501  or  1506,  as  variously 
stated,  took  spade  or  pick-axe,  and  dug  deep  in  the  soil 
of  his  own  little  farm.  He  unearthed  a  tablet  of  bronze. 
The  tablet,  cast  in  bronze  mingled  with  some  silver,  was 
a  finger  in  thickness,  nearly  square  in  form,  and  in  size 


THE   BRONZE   TABLET.  115 

less  than  two  palmi,  the  Genoese  measure.  The  letters 
were  cul  in  large  capitals,  with  a  chisel,  and  in  a  manner 
to  leave  no  doubt  of  its  antiquity.  Is  there  not  a  phase 
of  fascination  in  the  event  even  now?  Hidden  treasure, 
buried  in  the  ground,  forgotten,  or  the  owner  long  dead  — 
is  not  the  finding  of  sueh  hooty  still  the  feverish  dream 
<>i  the  modern  Egyptian  along  the  borders  of  the  Nile, 
and  the  explorer  of  the  coral  islands?  Agostino  of  Piedi- 
monte  unearthed  an  object  of  bronze  with  excitement 
and  curiosity,  as  the  British  ploughman  may  turn  up 
coins  wherever  Caesar  formed  a  camp;  the  French  peas- 
ant come  "ii  an  unexpected  hoard  at  Narbonne  or  Arle" 
of  rings,  weapons,  and  armor;  and  the  Italian  contaJino 
disclose  on  the  Via  Emilia  at  Verona  the  head  of  an 
elephant  in  bronze  exquisitely  modelled,  earthen  vessels, 
vases,  and  cups  of  burnt  clay  suggestive  of  the  religion 
of  Numa  and  the  incense  of  the  altars  in  the  Romagna, 
and  a  jewel  lost  in  the  sacking  of  Rome  by  Alaric  on 
the  Campagna.  Agostino  took  the  tablet  to  Genoa,  and 
sold  it  to  the  authorities.  The  senate  of  that  date  per- 
ceived the  value  of  the  historical  record,  secured  it,  and 
affixed  it  to  the  wall  of  black  and  white  marble  beside 
the  Chapel  of  St.  John  the  Baptist  in  the  Cathedral  of 
San  Lorenzo. 

The  peasant  may  have  returned  homeward  to  the  Val 
di  Polcevera  somewhat  ruefully  after  the  transaction, 
regretting  that  he  had  found  no  pile  of  gold,  or  sealed 
urn  full  of  precious  stones.  The  learned  men  of  the 
period  spied  at  the  tablet  with  becoming  interest,  dis- 
iing  from  it  that  Rome  had  sent  to  the  Valle  di 
Polcevera  two  jurisconsuls,  Q.  M.  Minutius  and  F.  Rufiius, 
to  settle  a  dispute  as  to  the  line  of  demarcation  between 
the  land  of  the  Genoati  and  the  Viturii.  The  Genoati 
inhabited  Polcevera,  with  Langasco  for  their  chief  town, 
whiln    the  Viturii    occupied   the    region    of   Voltaggio  up 


116  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

to  the  summit.  The  learned  men  were  scarcely  able  to 
determine  the  period  when  Latin  writing  was  placed  side 
by  side  with  Etruscan  and  Greek  in  the  Roman  world,  as 
the  fact  has  long  remained  an  enigma  of  history ;  but  the 
adoption  of  wooden  tablets,  stone,  iron,  and  lead,  and 
of  waxed  surfaces,  had  evidently  succeeded  the  use  of 
the  bark  of  trees,  especially  of  the  linden  tree,  as  the 
stylus  must  have  yielded  place,  in  turn,  to  quills  of  the 
goose  and  swan,  and  the  reed.  The  ancient  oak  men- 
tioned by  Pliny  was  covered  with  Etruscan  characters. 
The  Annals  of  the  Pontiffs,  a  species  of  chronological 
tables  on  wood,  painted  white,  recording  briefly  public 
events  from  350  to  623,  were  not  destroyed  during  the 
Gallic  invasion. 

The  leaders  of  the  tribes  back  of  Genoa  were  summoned 
to  Rome  to  adjust  their  differences.  The  precise  date  is 
vague.  One  chronicler  gives  the  year  290  B.C.  and  an- 
other 633.  If  the  latter  is  correct,  Rome  had  already 
become  a  great  and  vigorous  power,  despite  wars,  in- 
vasions, earthquakes,  and  pestilence.  Romulus  had  been 
created  the  God  of  Shepherds,  with  the  Sabine  worship 
of  the  wolf  in  propitiation  of  the  divinity  Lupercus  to 
spare  the  herds,  while  the  Aventine  had  been  the  scene 
of  fearful  mysteries.  To  the  reign  of  the  kings  had 
succeeded  the  Decemvirate  ;  the  great  Lars  Porsenna  of 
Clusium  had  fallen  like  a  tree  ;  and  the  soldier  Virginius 
had  aroused  the  populace  against  tyranny,  with  his  dead 
daughter  hanging  limp  over  his  arm.  Niebuhr  compares 
Rome  to  the  sea  that  receives  all  the  rivers  in  absorbing 
the  peoples  along  the  Mediterranean  shores.  After  the 
Tarcntine  War,  Rome  remained  the  master  of  Italy.  Al- 
ready the  city  rose  in  more  spacious  proportions  from  the 
ashes  of  early  fires,  and  the  indomitable  race  of  insati- 
able conquerors  rapidly  developed  a  fondness  for  the  power 
of  riches  as  well.     An  order  of  capitalists  was  established, 


THE  BRONZE  TABLET.  117 

bankers  and  builders  were  numerous,  and  in  316  taxes 
were  imposed  on  fisheries,  salt,  mines,  and  pasturage. 
Each  Roman  reported  himself  to  the  authorities,  his  resi- 
dence, and  the  amount  of  his  fortune,  in  a  manner  that 
reminds  one  of  the  modern  Russian.  A  new-born  babe 
was  enrolled  on  the  list  in  the  temple  of  Lucine,  the 
adoleseent  when  he  put  off  ehildhood's  garments  for  virile 
raiment  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  in  the  sanctuary  of 
Juventas,  and  the  dead  in  the  register  of  the  Libitina. 
(The  goddess  Libitina  presided  over  funerals,  and  had 
a  temple  at  Rome  where  a  certain  piece  of  money 
was  lodged  for  every  person  who  died,  and  whose  name 
was  entered  in  a  book  called  Libitince  ratio.  This 
practice  was  adopted  by  Servius  Tullius  in  order  to  obtain 
an  account  of  the  number  of  annual  deaths  in  the  city, 
and  consequently  the  rate  of  increase  or  decrease  of  the 
inhabitants.) 

A  people  capable  of  formulating  enlightened  laws  for 
themselves  were  sure  to  make  stringent  regulations  for  all 
tributaries.  Thus  Rome  is  said  to  have  had  her  system 
of  police  in  each  province,  while  a  senate  in  every  town 
was  exacted  by  the  most  ancient  laws.  Luxury  already 
sapped  the  Commonwealth,  although  Curius  and  Fabricius 
were  accepted  ns  models  of  the  austere  old  stock.  It  will 
be  remembered  that  the  former  received  the  Samnite 
ambassadors  at  his  modest  farm  in  the  Sabine  hills,  while 
eating  in  a  wooden  bowl  the  beans  which  he  had  cooked 
in  the  ashes,  and  declined  their  gifts  of  gold.  The  senate 
was  becoming  effeminate.  In  the  year  600,  the  Consul 
Elius  made  a  law  that  an  assembly  need  not  be  held 
during  thunderstorms,  and  especially  when  the  thunder 
was  audible  in  the  east,  while  for  a  member  only  to  see 
a  flash  of  lightning  was  sufficient  excuse  to  break  up  a 
council.  Was  this  extraordinary  regulation  a  question 
of    nerves,  or    of   superstitious  terror    of    the    elements  ? 


118  GENOA  THE    SUPERB. 

The  human  race  was  young  and  nai've  in  credulity  and 
ignorance,  for  all  its  wonderful  vitality  of  ambition  and 
progress.  One  of  the  laws  of  the  Twelve  Tables  was  the 
penalty  of  death  for  practising  the  blight  of  enchantment 
on  a  neighbor's  field  of  grain.  The  Edile  Curule  Sp.  Postu- 
mius  Albinus  brought  such  an  accusation  before  the  people. 
The  affair  of  the  tribes  of  the  Genoese  territory  was 
settled  thus :  they  were  ordered  to  pay  Rome  a  yearly 
tribute  of  wheat  and  wine,  and  the  bronze  tablet  defining 
their  rights  was  erected  in  the  Val  di  Polcevera,  that  all 
who  ran  might  read.  When  did  the  tablet  fall  into  the 
dust  of  oblivion  and  disuse  ?  How  many  years  had  it  been 
buried  in  the  ground  when  unearthed  by  the  spade  of  the 
peasant  ?  Giustiniani  has  rendered  the  record  into  Italian. 
It  runs  as  follows  :  — 

Q.  M.  Minutius  and  Q.  F.  Ruffo,  having  been  sent  officially 
to  the  spot,  have  heard  the  controversy  between  the  Genoati 
and  the  Viturii,  and  in  their  presence  have  adjusted  the  dispute 
existing  between  them,  declaring  by  the  vigor  of  this  law  how 
they  shall  possess  the  country,  and  by  what  regulations  they 
shall  abide.  To  define  the  boundaries  and  order  what  shall 
be  the  exact  limits,  the  parties  must  come  to  Rome.  At  Rome 
the  parties  presenting  themselves,  a  sentence  was  given  with 
the  authority  and  as  decreed  by  the  senate  on  the  thirteenth 
day  of  the  month  of  December,  in  the  time  of  the  consulship 
of  L.  Cecilius,  son  of  Quintus,  and  of  Q.  Minutius.  Know  that 
the  country  in  detail  from  Castello  belongs  to  the  Viturii, 
which  land  they  may  sell,  and  bequeath  to  their  heirs  :  this 
region  need  not  pay  taxes.  The  confines  of  the  country  in 
detail  of  Langasco  are  on  the  lower  side,  which  begins  at  the 
spring  of  Iunna,  and  follows  the  river  Edem;  and  this  is  the 
limit.  From  the  river  above  to  the  stream  Lemuro,  and  from 
the  Lemuro  up  along  the  bank  of  Comberana,  and  from  Com- 
berana  to  the  valley  Ceptiena ;  these  two  terminuses  form  a 
circle  to  the  Via  Postumia.     From  these  limits  the   rights  of 


THE    BRONZE  TABLET.  119 

country  are  the  bank  of  Vindupalo,  and  from  the  side  of  Vin- 
dupalo  to  the  river  Neviasca,  and  from  thence  to  the  river 
Porcobera,  down  to  the  brook  Vinelasca  below,  shall  be  the 
confine.  From  this  point  directly  above  the  brook  Vinelasca 
to  the  Via  Postumia  is  another  boundary,  which  also  extends 
to  tlif  spring  Immanic<  lo  and  tho  river  Edem.  These  are  the 
t.  rminations  of  the  public  lands  belonging  to  the  Langaschi. 
Edo  and  Porcobera  together  may  be  added,  and  here  is  the 
limit.  From  here  by  the  river  toward  the  Monte  Lemuro,  the 
lower  slopes  ;  here  is  the  boundary.  From  here  above  directly 
to  the  Monte  Procavo,  and  to  the  summit  of  Monte  Le- 
muro, the  highest  peak  ;  this  shall  be  a  border  line.  From 
thence  directly  up  to  the  summit  of  Castello,  which  is  named 
Aliauo;  this  is  a  limit.  From  here  up  to  the  top  of  Moute 
Sovenzione ;  such  shall  be  a  boundary.  From  here  to  the 
height  of  Monte  Apennino,  called  Boplo ;  this  is  a  limit. 
From  Apennino  to  the  summit  of  Monte  Tuledone  ;  this  is  a 
margin.  From  hence  descending  by  the  stream  Veraglasca 
with  tho  Monte  Berigema ;  here  is  the  terminus.  From  here 
above  to  the  top  of  Monte  Prenico ;  this  is  the  boundary. 
From  here  below  to  the  river  Tulelasca ;  such  is  the  confine. 
From  here  by  the  height  of  Blustinelo  to  Monte  Claxelo ;  this 
is  the  limit.  From  here  direct  to  the  brook  Eniseca  and  the 
river  Porcobera  ;  such  is  the  limit.  From  here  down  to  where 
the  river  Porcobera  and  the  Edo  unite;  this  is  the  confine. 
This  country  is  adjudged  public.  This  country  shall  be  pos- 
sessed and  enjoyed  by  the  Castellani,  the  Langaschi,  and  the 
Viturii,  and  for  the  same  reason  the  Langaschi  shall  pay  to  the 
Viturii,  in  public  at  Genoa  every  year  four  hundred  vittoriate 
Of  money.  If  the  Langaschi  fail  to  give  this  indemnity,  and 
are  not  satisfied  with  the  arbitration  of  the  Genoati,  and 
the  Genoese  do  not  receive  it  in  time,  or  there  is  any  other 
impediment  in  the  rendering  of  this  indemnity,  in  that  case 
the  fonner  shall  furnish  every  season  in  public,  at  Genoa,  the 
twentieth  part  of  the  wheat,  and  the  sixth  part  of  the  wine 
grown  on  this  territory.  All  such  as  possess  fields  within 
these  confines,  whether  Genoati  or  Viturii,   and   all  who  did 


120  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

possess  them  in  the  calends  of  the  sixth  month  under  the 
consuls  L.  Cecilius  and  Q.  Minutius,  being  licensed  to  hold 
and  cultivate,  shall  give  indemnity  to  the  Langaschi  like  the 
rest,  and  all  who  enjoy  land.  No  one  can  have  possessions 
in  this  territory  without  the  consent  of  the  majority  of  the 
Langaschi  and  the  Viturii  with  this  law,  and  none  be  intro- 
duced to  cultivate  the  soil  if  not  Genoati  or  Viturii.  Whoever 
fails  to  obey  this  sentence,  whether  of  the  Langaschi  or  of  the 
Viturii,  shall  not  hold  and  enjoy  fields.  Animals  may  be 
pastured  on  the  public  grounds  by  Genoati  and  Viturii,  as  the 
Genoati  pasture  their  cattle  in  other  places.  It  is  prohibited, 
no  matter  who  attempts  to  do  otherwise,  either  by  force  or 
evasion,  to  take  wood  and  other  materials  from  this  territory 
for  building  purposes.  The  Langaschi  must  pay  the  tax  of 
the  first  year  to  the  Viturii,  in  public,  at  Genoa,  in  the  calend 
of  the  second  of  January,  if  those  who  have  enjoyed  privileges 
have  not  paid  voluntarily  in  the  first  calends  of  the  month. 
The  meadows  in  the  vicinity  of  the  boundary,  according  to  the 
Consuls  L.  Cecilius  and  Q.  Minutius,  in  the  public  property 
held  by  the  Viturii  and  the  Langaschi,  and  in  which  the  Odiati, 
Dettumini,  Cavaturini,  and  Mentonini  also  have  a  share,  shall 
not  be  sown  or  used  as  pasturage  by  any  one  against  common 
consent.  If  the  Langaschi,  whether  Odiati.  Dettumini,  Ca- 
vaturini, or  Mentonini,  wish  in  this  territory  to  take  other  fields, 
to  defend  and  sow  them,  it  is  permitted  to  do  so,  with  the  ex- 
ception that  they  do  not  take  the  largest  portion  of  the 
meadows  from  those  which  have  been  held  and  cultivated  by 
the  Viturii  in  past  times. 

Those  Genoese  who  for  reasons  of  this  controversy  and 
of  insult  have  been  judged  and  condemned,  if  they  have 
suffered  imprisonment,  shall  be  released  by  the  Genoese,  and 
set  at  liberty  by  the  sixteenth  day  of  the  first  month.  If  this 
seems  iniquitous  to  any  one,  they  may  appear  before  us  on  the 
first  day,  and  are  free  to  contest  the  matter,  and  to  state  any 
public  grievance  by  the  law  of  Maconia.  This  tablet  is  dic- 
tated by  Meticanius,  the  son  of  Meticone,  and  is  inscribed  by 
Planco  di  Peliano,  son  of  Pelione. 


THE  BRONZE  TABLET.  121 

Should  we  sally  forth  in  the  fog,  and  grope  our  way  to 
the  Palazzo  del  Municipio,  we  might  examine  the  bronze 
tablet  in  our  day,  as  the  most  important  record  of  anti- 
quity of  the  fair  city  of  Genoa  amidst  the  shifting  mists 
of  fable  and  tradition. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A   TIGER   LILY. 

THE  little  Colomba,  with  the  sun  shining  on  her  crisply 
curling  black  hair  and  bright  face,  youngest  of  the 
childish  brood  of  Lorenzo  at  the  gate,  approaches  the 
terrace  of  the  villa  at  Pegli,  followed  slowly  by  the  grand- 
mother, who  knits  as  she  walks.  The  baby  proffers  shyly 
the  gift  of  a  flower,  prompted  by  the  smiling  grandmother. 

"  A  tiger  lily  ! "  you  exclaim  in  some  surprise,  as  you 
receive  the  offering. 

"  It  is  the  flower  of  the  Imperial  Crown,  Signora,"  the 
grandmother  explains.  Then  the  little  Colomba  runs  back 
to  the  gate,  quite  proud  of  her  mission  fulfilled,  and  the  old 
grandmother  strolls  after  her  charge,  ever  knitting  as  she 
walks. 

The  tiger  lily  is  not  a  flower  of  preference,  with  its 
deep  hues  and  strangely  mottled  petals,  and  is  further 
associated  with  the  humblest  garden-patch  of  the  country- 
side in  America,  in  company  with  the  purple  and  white 
convolvolus  draping  low  windows,  the  sun-flower,  and  the 
practical  cabbage-patch  near  at  hand.  How  did  the  plant 
become  so  abundant  in  America  ?  Why  does  Italy  give  it 
the  dignified  title  of  the  Imperial  Crown  ?  Evidently  the 
bloom  is  respected  here,  and  the  present  you  take  between 
your  fingers  has  been  bestowed  as  some  rare  exotic  in  a 
land  abounding  in  beautiful  and  richly  fragrant  gardens. 
Hold  the  lily  up  to  the  radiant  light  of  sky  and  sea.  After 
all  it  is  a  splendid  flower,  with  the  sun  glorifying  the 
tawny  gold  and  copper  red  tints  of  anther,  pistil,  and  petal, 


Panorama  of  Genoa  from  the  Castello. 


A   TIGER   LILY.  123 

and  the  yellow  pollen-dust  shed  abroad  by  every  vibration 
on  tli»'  still'  green  Btalk.  The  Imperial  Crown — surely  the 
Sower  is  curved  in  shape  like  a  royal  coronet.  Did  it 
spring  up,  unbidden,  in  the  footsteps  of  the  German  em- 
perors, who  marched  into  Italy  for  centuries,  as  certain 
j. hints  are  said  to  accompany  the  progress  of  mankind 
across  continents,  and  deadly  nightshade,  or  black  helle- 
bore begin  to  grow  on  a  deserted  gypsy  encampment? 
The  history  of  Italy  in  the  past  has  been  more  closely  in- 
terwoven with  that  of  the  great  Teutonic  princes  than  any 
other  country,  from  Henry  II.  to  the  young  Empress 
ista  of  our  time,  who  embarking  at  Genoa  for  Greece 
and  Constantinople,  a  U~\y  years  since,  expressed  a  wish  to 
have  the  relies  of  the  cathedral  brought  for  her  inspection. 
Genoa,  accustomed  to  great  ladies  and  their  whims,  sent 
the  canons  of  San  Lorenzo  with  the  treasure. 

The  Sea  City  shines  in  a  clear  atmosphere  as  a  walled 
town.  The  flower  of  the  Imperial  Crown  becomes  sym- 
bolical at  the  moment  of  the  Emperor  Frederic  Barbarossa, 
and  the  notable  period  in  Genoese  history  when  the  entire 
population,  imbued  by  a  sentiment  of  ardent  patriotism, 
aided  in  strengthening  the  walls  in  defiance  of  a  much 
dreaded  conqueror. 

Genoa  had  passed  through  the  successive  stages  of 
growth  of  a  confederate  town  under  Roman  dominion  to 
an  independent  republic.  In  9o4  the  city  is  reputed  to 
been  divided  into  three  portions:  first,  the  Castcllo, 
comprising  the  higher  eminence  to  the  east,  where  stood 
an  ancient  castle  with  three  towers;  second,  that  of  the 
centre  :  and  third  the  west,  or  Borgo  di  Pre.  In  the  year 
950  the  place  had  grown  until  it  numbered  eight  quarters, 
those  of  the  Castello,  the  Borgo,  the  Piazza  Lunga,  of 
Macaguana,  San  Lorenzo,  della  Porta,  of  Susiglia,  and  of 
the  Porta  nuova,  or  Portoria.  Each  parish  had  a  chief,  a 
gonfalone,  and  a  volunteer  guard  for  the  five  important 


124  GENOA  THE  SUrEHB. 

posts  to  defend,  —  the  hill  of  Carignano  (Calignano)  in  the 
extreme  west,  Castello  in  the  middle,  il  capo,  or  reef  of 
the  lighthouse  in  the  cast,  and  the  country  healths  along 
the  channels  of  the  two  streams  of  the  Polcevera  and 
Bisagno  inland. 

On  certain  days  the  citizens  met  for  the  exercise  of  arms. 
They  wore  helmets  with  iron  visors,  to  raise  or  lower  at 
pleasure,  a  chin-piece  of  metal,  which  was  connected  with 
a  collar  extending  to  and  covering  the  shoulders,  a  tunic 
of  iron  rings  (mail)  with  a  vest  of  wool  einhroidered  in 
taffetas,  or  leather,  and  on  the  back  a  plastron  woven  of 
pack  thread.  Their  shields  were  oval  or  round  in  shape, 
and  made  of  oak,  leather,  or  steel.  Their  weapons  consisted 
of  a  sword  by  the  side,  a  dagger  or  a  javelin  thrust  in  the 
belt,  a  lance  or  a  mace  in  the  hand,  the  bow  with  arrows, 
or  a  cross-bow,  held  in  a  rest  of  wood,  furnished  with  a 
leather  stirrup,  on  which  the  foot  was  placed,  with  two 
double  cords.  Men-at-arms  did  not  use  the  cross-bow, 
and  the  cross-bow  men,  in  turn,  did  not  handle  the  lance 
or  the  javelin.  The  first  formed  the  body  of  cavalry,  on 
occasion,  and  their  horses  had  the  flanks  protected  with 
leather  coverings,  while  the  latter  trusted  to  their  own 
agility  in  combat. 

Such  were  the  citizen  ancestors  of  Christopher  Columbus. 

In  950  the  large  bell  of  that  date  was  hung  to  the  high- 
est tower  in  the  town  to  give  the  alarm  in  disasters,  and 
ring  for  great  events.  The  public  crier  blew  his  trumpet 
three  times  in  the  square  of  St.  Lawrence  to  announce  to 
the  population  that  the  consuls  had  some  important  matter 
of  public  welfare  to  discuss. 

In  the  time  of  the  Emperor  Augustus  Genoa  was  the 
first  city  of  Liguria,  and  estimated  as  older  than  Rome. 
Later  the  circuit  of  the  boundary  was  stated  to  be  six 
miles,  the  length  of  the  Mole,  and  all  bridges  being  in- 
cluded in  the  measurement.     The  town  was  small,  having 


Courtyard  of  the  Pdla;;o  Municipale. 


vnili 


A   TIGER   LILY.  125 

one  gate  near  the  Church  of  San  Pietro  di  Banchi,  where 
the  wall  ruse  to  the  archbishop's  palace  ;  a  second  gate 
was  placed  at  the  point  of  descent  of  the  fortifications,  by 
means  of  a  little  valley,  on  the  site  of  the  Church  of  San 
Matteo,  while  a  third  opened  near  San  Ambrogio.  The 
wall  was  continued  up  to  the  castle,  where  the  scutcheon 
was  placed  on  the  three  towers  of  the  Griffo, — a  griffin 
being  engraved  as  a  municipal  emblem  on  the  city  seals. 

The  Genoese  were  estimated  first  as  an  association  of 
mariners,  rudely  republican  in  spirit;  then  of  a  common- 
wealth, more  or  less  turbulent  ;  and  later  of  a  splendid  and 
ambitious  nobility  that  brought  about  the  ruin  of  the  city 
by  their  tierce  contests  of  rivalry,  until  total  anarchy  de- 
manded the  intervention  of  foreign  rulers.  Bold  naviga- 
tors, merchants  skilful  in  traffic  with  the  infidels  of  Egypt 
and  the  Mauritius,  they  had  ever  to  solve  the  difficult 
problem  of  owning  and  holding  a  few  leagues  of  sterile 
shore  at  home. 

In  1088,  Genoa  is  represented  as  a  narrow  town,  with- 
out territory,  occupying  the  eastern  side  of  the  promontory 
which  terminates  to  the  west  in  the  beautiful  arc  of  a 
circle  since  built  upon.  The  habitations  clustered  on  the 
hill  of  Sarzana  from  south  to  east.  In  the  waters  below, 
the  galleys  cast  anchor,  or  were  drawn  up  on  the  sands  of 
a  small  beach,  unprotected  by  a  mole.  The  ravine  be- 
tween the  heights  of  Sarzana  and  Carignano  formed  the 
limit  of  settlement  on  that  side.  On  the  north,  the  city 
reached  only  the  square  where  stands  the  Cathedral  of  San 
Lorenzo  and  the  Municipal  Palace,  then  descended  to  the 
sea.  The  first  episcopal  seat  of  Genoa,  the  Church  of  San 
Siro,  with  its  relies,  was  situated  outside  of  the  circle  of 
walls.  After  the  boundaries  were  enlarged,  a  mole  was 
erected  for  the  protection  of  vessels  under  the  eminence 
of  Sarzana,  and  the  port  established  as  it  now  exists,  with- 
out modern  enlargement  and  modification.     Buildim?  ex- 


126  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

tended  westward  to  the  verge  of  the  suburb  of  the  Borgo 
di  Pre. 

How  curious  and  vivid  to  the  stranger  of  to-day  is  the 
item  in  the  book  of  the  "  Giuri  della  Repubblica"  of  1159! 
A  new  street  opened  from  the  Rio  Torbido,  near  the 
Acquasola,  to  the  hospital  of  San  Stefano  was  stipulated  to 
be  eight  feet  in  width.  Many  streets  were  three  and  four 
feet  wide.  The  best  thoroughfares  were  outside  of  the 
port  on  the  sea,  between  the  ancient  church  of  Grazie  and 
the  valley  of  Carignano,  and  between  the  Fossatello  and 
the  Porte  di  Vacca.  A  portico,  or  shed,  not  elegant  in 
appearance  but  very  convenient  in  rainy  weather,  extended 
around  the  port  above  the  beach  and  along  the  walls, 
where  the  ships  were  modelled,  from  the  Borgo  di  Pre  to 
the  Piazza  del  Molo,  and  an  equal  distance  on  the  other 
side.  The  structure  has  long  been  demolished.  In  the 
fourteenth  century  there  were  certain  edifices  on  the  Via 
Regia  which  no  longer  exist.  As  the  wealth  of  the  com- 
munity increased,  the  squares  and  streets  were  more  im- 
posing, notably  those  of  San  Matteo  and  San  Lorenzo,  the 
Via  Balbi,  Via  Nuova,  or  Giulia,  and  the  Piazze  dell'  Ac- 
queverde  and  della  Cava.  Buildings  were  at  first  made 
entirely  of  wood  ;  but  they  came  to  be  roofed  wTith  tiles 
of  the  slate  of  Lavagna,  while  the  windenvs  were  divided 
by  little  columns,  chiefly  made  of  brick,  because  stone 
was  too  expensive  to  excavate  before  the  discovery  of 
gunpowder.  When  true  palaces  of  wealthy  citizens  were 
erected  of  stone  and  marble,  the  materials  were  brought 
from  Polcevera  and  Porto  Venere,  and  not  from  Carrara. 
The  basements  of  such  mansions  were  encrusted  with 
black  and  white  marbles,  and  the  facades  often  colored. 
At  one  angle  rose  the  tower,  square  in  form,  with  a  terrace 
on  the  top  protected  by  battlements,  two  large  casements 
below,  and  small  apertures  at  intervals  in  the  solid 
masonry.    Those  residences  around  the  Port  were  the  most 


A  TIGER  LILY.  127 

ornate.  The  Italian  historian,  imbued  with  enthusiasm  over 
these  evidences  of  early  refinement  of  taste,  and  wishing 
to  sweep  away  all  the  dirty  little  alleys  which  have  sprung 
up  on  the  site  of  so  much  magnificence,  exclaims,  — 

"This  is  the  superb  city,  the  Queen  of  the  Sea!" 
("  Questa  e  la  cittd  superba,  la  regina  del  Mare!") 

In  1134,  the  Marchese  Negroni  was  accorded  the  privi- 
lege by  the  councillors  of  building  a  palace  twelve  feet 
from  the  sea,  with  two  square  columns  at  the  extremities, 
and  the  other  pillars  round  in  form.  This  mansion  was  in 
the  Piazza  de'  Marini. 

No  vehicles  passed  through  the  town.  Men  rode,  women 
were  carried  in  litters  or  chairs,  while  asses  and  mules 
bore  all  burdens.  In  the  middle  of  each  street  a  gutter 
of  bricks  formed  a  sewer  conduit. 

Genoa  increased  in  size  until  she  numbered  thirty 
parishes,  gathered  around  their  respective  churches. 
First  ranked  San  Giacomo  di  Carignano,  and  the  mon- 
astery of  the  Frati  Osservanti  of  San  Agostino,  built  near 
the  sea.  The  hill  of  Carignano  was  ever  a  favored  spot 
from  the  date  when  it  belonged  to  the  Roman  citizen 
Carino,  from  whom  it  derived  its  name.  The  Genoese 
built  no  less  than  fifty  magnificent  palaces  with  enchant- 
ing gardens  here,  the  most  notable  being  the  residences  of 
the  Fieschi,  Pietro  di  Negrone,  Rolando  di  Ferrari,  Gio- 
vanni Battista  de  Fornari,  or  Madonna  Mariola,  the 
mother  of  Cardinal  Sauli.  These  families  decorated  es- 
pecial churches  with  pious  zeal,  the  little  Church  of  St. 
Sebastian  having  been  erected  by  the  Sauli,  while  the 
Fieschi  lavished  money  on  the  Assumption  of  Our  Lady 
called  Santa  Maria  Inviolata.  At  the  summit  of  the 
promontory  were  quarries  utilized  to  obtain  stone  to  build 
the  Mole.  Second  was  the  parish  of  St.  Stephen,  the 
largest  in  the  city.  Descending  from  Carignano,  one  of 
the  most  spacious  gates,  dell'  Arco  degli   Archi,  was  in 


128  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

this  quarter.  The  abbey  of  St.  Stephen,  with  the  Olivetan 
monks,  was  situated  here,  and  the  ancient  church,  con- 
taining many  relics.  There  was,  also,  a  monastery  of 
the  Frati  Minori,  with  a  large  hospital,  an  infirmary  to 
cure  those  of  the  province,  and  a  foundling  asylum,  which 
was  long  unique  in  Italy,  where  one  hundred  maidens  were 
brought  up,  taught  to  work  in  silk,  and  given  a  dowry  if 
they  wished  to  marry.  Third,  the  parish  of  San  Salvatore 
comprised  the  Piazza  Sarzano,  where  they  made  rope, 
Piazza  della  Marina,  the  field  of  the  Pisans,  and  the  mon- 
astery of  Margaret  of  the  Rock.  Fourth,  the  parish  of 
San  Silvestro  began  at  the  Piazza  Grande  of  Sarzano,  and 
included  the  monastery  of  San  Silvestro  as  well  as  the 
oratory  of  the  Disciplinanti  of  Santa  Croce.  Fifth,  the 
parish  of  Santa  Croce  bordered  on  Sarzano,  and  held  the 
Churches  of  San  Antonio  and  of  Our  Lady  of  Castello. 
Sixth,  the  parish  of  Santa  Maria  di  Castello  embraced  the 
Piazza  degli  Embriaci,  Piazza  de'  Guarchi,  Piazza  Lunga, 
the  monastery  of  the  Madonna  di  Grazia,  the  new  one,  and 
the  oratory  of  San  Giacomo  della  Marina.  Seventh,  the 
parish  of  St.  Nazaro  and.  St.  Celso  held  the  Piazza  del 
Molo,  with  the  prison  of  the  Malapaga.  Eight  and  ninth 
were  the  parishes  of  St.  Mark,  and  of  St.  Coscimo  and 
St.  Damian.  Tenth,  the  parish  of  St.  George  included  the 
Piazza  of  St.  George,  formerly  of  the  market,  with  the 
squares  of  the  Leccavella,  Bozani,  Sauli,  and  Stella  fami- 
lies. Eleventh  was  the  little  parish  of  San  Torpe,  where 
was  the  Piazza  Cattanei,  and  the  houses  of  the  noble 
Cattanei  della  Volta.  (Lorenzo  Cattaneo  was  a  rich  mer- 
chant.) Twelfth,  in  the  parish  of  San  Donato  were  the 
hospital  of  Calegari,  the  Piazza  of  San  Donato,  and  the 
Piazza  de'  Salvaghi.  Thirteenth,  the  parish  of  San  Andrea, 
where  was  an  ancient  gate  of  the  city,  was  very  magnifi- 
cent, had  the  front  of  the  aqueduct,  the  monastery  of 
the  Donne  Osservanti,  and  some  open  fields.     Fourteenth, 


Ducal  Palace,  Pia{{a  Nuova. 


A   TIGER   LILY.  129 

the  parish  of  St.  Ambrose  had  the  Piazza  Nuova  for 
the  market,  the  public  palace,  where  the  soldiers  of  the 
guard  of  the  city  were  quartered,  a  chapel  of  St.  Sebas- 
tian, and  the  oratory  of  St.  Ambrose.  Fifteenth,  in 
the  parish  of  St.  Lawrence  was  the  metropolitan  church, 
with  the  archbishop's  palace  adjacent.  There  was  noted 
in  this  locality,  besides  numerous  squares,  a  house  with  a 
very  rich  and  beautiful  stairway  built  by  Jerolamo  di 
Valdettaro.  Sixteenth,  in  the  parish  of  Santa  Maria  delle 
Vigne  were  the  temple  of  St.  Francis,  the  fountain 
named  Pozzarello,  the  churches  of  St.  Raphael,  St. 
Paul,  the  old  St.  Sebastian  of  the  Augustines,  St.  Cath- 
erine and  St.  Martha,  the  city  gate  of  Acquasola,  and 
the  Piazza  Lucoli  of  the  Spinola.  Here  was,  in  ad- 
dition, the  public  entrance  to  the  aqueduct,  the  corn 
exchange,  the  room  of  the  Mint,  and  the  bridges  for 
the  transport  of  merchandise.  Seventeenth,  the  parish 
dclla  Maddalena  had  a  city  gate,  by  means  of  which 
one  ascended  to  Bachernia.  Eighteenth,  the  parish  of  St. 
Matthew  had  the  Piazza  d'Oria,  many  fine  and  ancient 
houses,  the  priory  of  St.  Matthew  of  the  order  of  Bene- 
dict, and  the  portico  of  the  Capitano  Dominicaccia.  Nine- 
teenth, the  parish  of  San  Piero  de'  Banchi  could  boast  that 
the  Ponte  di  Chiavari  was  larger  than  the  Venetian  Ri- 
alto.  In  addition  it  had  a  city  gate,  the  Piazza  de'  Banchi, 
a  warehouse  for  grain  called  La  Reba,  adopting  a  Moorish 
word,  the  deposit  of  oil,  fish-market,  bridges  for  timber, 
or  scaffoldings,  the  palace  of  St.  George,  the  Piazza  de' 
Marini,  and  the  Piazza  dei  Lercari.  Twentieth,  ranked 
the  parish  of  San  Siro,  with  the  monastery  of  St.  Bene- 
dict, the  Church  of  St.  Luke,  the  squares  and  loggie  of 
the  Grimaldi  and  the  Spinola,  the  Piazze  dei  Sardena 
and  Pallavicini,  patrons  of  the  oratory  of  San  Siro. 
Twenty-first  and  twenty-second  were  the  parishes  of  St. 
Pancras  and  of  St.  Marcellino,  while  St.   Sabina  was  the 

9 


130  GENOA   THE    SUPERB. 

twenty-third.  The  twenty-fourth  was  the  parish  of  St. 
Agnes,  with  a  city  gate  ascending  to  the  Carbonara ;  the 
twenty-fifth  the  parish  of  San  Fede ;  the  twenty-sixth,  the 
parish  of  San  Sisto  ;  twenty-seventh,  the  parish  of  San 
Vito ;  and  twenty-eighth  the  parish  of  the  Commandery  of 
St.  John  of  Jerusalem,  with  four  oratories,  two  hospitals, 
and  the  arsenal.  Twenty-ninth  was  the  parish  of  San  Tomo, 
containing  a  Doria  palace  and  a  gate  leading  to  Lombardy. 
Thirtieth,  the  parish  of  St.  Michael  had  the  Church  of 
the  Consolate,  the  city  gate  of  Michael  leading  to  Ori- 
gina,  and  the  fortress  of  the  city,  and  the  Piazza  del 
Molo. 

Jacques  dc  Vitry,  the  annalist  of  the  Crusades,  pro- 
nounced the  French  and  the  Germans  the  very  strength  of 
nations  on  land,  while  the  maritime  populations  of  Italy 
were  the  most  constant  on  the  sea.     He  wrote  :  — 

"  The  men  of  Italy  are  grave,  sober,  and  prudent.  They 
are  polished  and  graceful  in  their  speech,  circumspect  in  their 
counsel,  active  in  their  business,  calculating,  foreseeing  future 
events,  persevering  in  their  aims,  distrustful  of  others,  and 
jealous  above  all  things  of  their  own  liberty.  In  all  places  they 
follow  their  own  laws  under  the  direction  of  chiefs  whom  they 
elect,  transporting  with  them  the  spirit  of  association,  and  the 
institutions  of  their  own  commune." 

If  this  description  may  be  accepted  as  a  just  portraiture 
of  the  Genoese  of  centuries  there  is  a  shade  of  the  coloring 
of  partiality  as  regards  the  perplexing  question  of  self- 
government.  The  Genoese  were  incapable  of  governing 
themselves  in  permanent  form,  with  all  their  energetic 
qualities  of  courage  and  worldly  wisdom. 

The  early  influence  of  the  bishops  was  succeeded  by  the 
consuls,  or  councillors.  The  thread  of  their  rule  runs 
through  the  complicated  pattern  of  public  and  private  in- 
terests   of   the   town.     In   1039,  Gugrlielmo   di    Bombelli, 


A   TIGER   LILY.  131 

Ogerio  di  Guidone,  Guglielmo  della  Yolta,  and  Guglielmo 
Rove  re  being  consuls,  the  city  obtained  a  right  to  coin 
money.  In  1190  the  consuls  were  six,  Raimondo  di 
FreBsia,  Morino,  son  of  Rodoano,  Simone  Vento,  Ido  di 
Carmadino,  Lanfranco  Rovere,  and  Enrico  Piccamiglio. 
Philip,  King  of  France,  having  been  detained  in  Genoa 
for  twenty-five  days,  set  sail  on  the  festival  of  St.  Bar- 
tholomew for  Soria,  with  many  galleys,  and  a  numerous 
retinue  of  princes  and  barons,  to  join  Richard  Cceur  de 
Lion  of  England.  The  latter  touched  at  Genoa,  with 
fifteen  galleys,  and  remained  for  one  day.  That  same 
year  Genoa  sent  eighty  vessels,  with  pilgrims  and  cava- 
liers on  board,  to  aid  in  recovering  the  Holy  Land  from 
the  Infidel.  The  consuls  sat  to  administer  justice  in  the 
archbishop's  palace.  The  Republic  decided  to  change  the 
ancient  usage,  and  ordered  the  Council  to  meet  instead, 
for  three  months  in  Santa  Maria  del  Castello,  three  in 
San  Giorgio,  three  in  San  Donato,  three  in  the  arch- 
bishop's palace,  three  in  San  Siro,  three  in  Santa  Maria 
delle  Vigne,  and  three  in  San  Pietro  della  Porta. 

Giustiniani  notes  the  state  of  affairs  in  1190  thus  :  — 

"  The  city  had  increased  in  power  and  riches,  but  much  more 
in  ambition,  and  there  reigned  in  the  town  discord,  disunion, 
and  conspiracy  full  of  hatred  and  malevolence.  Many  strove 
to  get  themselves  elected  consuls,  without  any  mask  of  assumed 
modesty,  wishing  to  rule  the  Republic  in  their  own  fashion. 
For  which  reason  the  wise  men  and  councillors,  together  with 
those  who  had  already  made  laws,  decided  not  to  select  consuls 
of  the  Republic  for  the  coming  year,  but  to  choose  a  foreign 
podesta  (mayor)  to  come  and  rule  over  them." 

This  curious  custom  of  the  Italian  States  was  accordingly 
adopted.  The  first  podesta  was  Messer  Manigoldo  del 
Tetocio  of  Brescia.  His  rule  bore  immediate  fruit  of 
sedition.  One  of  the  councillors  under  him  was  assaulted 
by  three  persons  of  Castello.     The  podesta  harangued  the 


132  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

populace,  then  proceeded  to  demolish  one  of  the  richest 
palaces  of  the  city,  that  of  Fulconc  di  Castello,  as  the  home 
of  the  murderer,  who  had  fled  from  justice. 

To  anticipate  dates,  in  1194,  Giacobo  Maniero,  a  Milan- 
ese, was  appointed  podesta,  with  four  councillors.  In 
1196,  Drudo  Marcellino,  a  Milanese,  succeeded,  with  eight 
noble  gentlemen.  This  podesta  was  deemed  a  valiant, 
prudent,  and  honest  man.  He  considered  the  towers  built 
by  the  citizens  for  the  protection  of  their  homes,  as  well 
as  for  purposes  of  hostility,  too  lofty  for  public  safety, 
and  ordered  them  lowered  to  eighty  feet.  He  further 
emulated  the  example  of  his  predecessors  in  razing  to  the 
ground  the  mansions  of  rebellious  subjects,  as  that  of  a 
certain  Idone  Malone  for  the  crimes  of  his  son.  He  was 
incorruptible  in  office,  as  to  receiving  gifts  from  the  ships 
of  gold,  silver,  and  gems.  He  had  the  public  goods  care- 
fully stored  in  the  common  warehouses  of  the  Republic. 
In  1198  Alberto  di  Mandello,  a  Milanese,  was  podesta,  and 
Beltramo  Cristiano  of  Pavia  in  1199.  In  the  year  1200, 
Orlandino  Malapresi,  of  Lucca,  was  podesta.  He  was 
obliged  to  sally  forth  to  San  Remo  and  San  Ampelio  to 
re-establish  Genoese  authority  in  those  places.  In  1205 
Fulcone  di  Castello,  a  Genoese  citizen,  was  elected  podesta, 
with  four  councillors  and  rectors  of  the  commune ;  and  in 
1207  the  city  again  omitted  to  choose  a  foreign  mayor, 
while  in  1215,  under  consuls,  the  wall  of  the  arsenal  was 
begun,  three  galleys  and  other  craft  bringing  the  requisite 
materials.  In  1217,  Oberto  Bocofollo  of  Pavia  was  podesta, 
and  in  1222  Spino  of  Soresina. 

The  chain  of  municipal  rule  thence  extends,  swayed  by 
the  civil  strife  of  Guelph  and  Ghibelline,  to  the  introduc- 
tion of  foreign  governors,  and  the  rise  of  the  first  Doge, 
Simon  Boccanegra. 

In  all  these  years  Genoa,  bold  and  successful  in  com- 
merce and  colonization  in  the  Orient,  naturally  intrigued 


A   TIGER   LILY.  133 

to  enslave  vassals  along  the  coast,  wishing  to  extend  her 
boundaries  to  Ventimiglia  in  the  west,  and  to  the  frontiers 
of  Tuscany  in  the  east.  Genoa  met  with  many  difficulties 
in  the  struggle  for  supremacy,  for  the  natives  of  the  Littoral 
were  ever  turbulent  and  restive  under  the  yoke  of  tyranny. 
Albenga  had  been  one  of  the  chief  towns  of  maritime 
Liguria  in  the  time  of  Roman  dominion  ;  Noli  was  stanch 
in  upholding  her  own  rights  ;  and  Ventimiglia,  after  the 
reign  of  Charlemagne,  was  proud  to  adhere  to  the  debris  of 
his  government  in  the  counts  and  marquises  of  ancient 
lineage,  who  still  claimed  to  belong  to  the  Empire  while 
dwelling  in  their  feudal  castles  built  in  the  defiles  of  the 
Apennines. 

The  part  of  Genoa  in  Italian  politics  was  eminently 
selfish.  No  effort  for  liberty  in  the  wider  realm  of  Lom- 
bard}* moved  her  to  lend  her  aid,  and  she  evaded  the  cu- 
pidity of  Teutonic  invaders  as  long  as  possible,  sheltered 
by  her  mountain  barrier.  Her  prudence  was  all  in  vain. 
Only  too  soon  was  the  fair  city  drawn  into  the  vortex  of 
rivalry  with  Pisa  and  Venice,  and  the  fierce  contest  of  the 
Guelph  and  Ghibelline  wars. 

The  tiger  lily,  tawny  gold  and  copper  in  the  sunshine  of 
the  terrace,  recalls  Barbarossa,  and  the  strengthening  of 
the  city  wall  in  a  tumult  of  popular  patriotism. 

The  doughty  little  cities  of  Lombardy  were  developing 
each  in  its  own  fashion,  one  claiming  superior  advantages 
of  situation,  another  as  the  centre  of  a  fertile  district,  a 
third  to  riches,  or  the  ancient  prerogatives  of  a  civil  or 
an  ecclesiastical  inheritance.  Milan  and  Pavia  were  the 
most  important,  and  hated  each  other  as  rival  nations. 
Flow  droll  the  contemplation  in  the  nineteenth  century  of 
this  mimic  warfare  between  neighbors  !  Cremona  fell  foul 
of  Brescia,  Milan  pummelled  Lodi,  and  Asti  defied  Tortona. 
Occasionally  several  towns  allied  themselves  together  to 
fight  a  common  enemy.     Such  union  was  the  first  germ 


134  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

of  the  Leagues  which  should  have  ever  cemented  together 
the  independent  republics  of  Italy.  When  the  harvests 
had  ripened,  each  sought  to  steal  the  grain  of  a  rival. 
Then  ensued  recriminations,  affrays,  and  the  meeting  of 
the  men  sufficiently  mature  to  carry  arms,  on  a  fixed  day, 
on  (he  frontier  of  one  of  the  territories,  surrounding  the 
carroceio  (car)  of  their  respective  commonwealths. 

The  adoption  of  the  carroceio  in  warfare  has  been  traced 
to  the  remote  origin  of  the  Hebrew  Ark.  That  of  Florence 
was  painted  vermilion,  and  drawn  by  oxen  covered  with 
rich,  red  draperies.  A  mast  in  the  middle  of  the  vehicle 
terminated  in  a  gilded  globe  ;  banners  were  attached,  and 
a  crucifix,  while  a  body  of  chosen  warriors  surrounded  and 
defended  it.  To  have  the  carroceio  seized  by  the  enemy 
was  the  supreme  climax  of  ignominy  in  defeat.  These 
battles  usually  terminated  in  parting  volleys  of  abuse  and 
ridicule  on  the  part  of  the  victors. 

Milan,  having  beaten  the  Pavians  in  1108,  made  many 
prisoners,  conducted  them  to  the  public  square,  tied  their 
hands  behind  their  backs,  placing  a  lighted  torch  between 
the  fingers,  and  drove  them  out  of  the  city  gate  to  find 
their  way  home  with  hootings  and  insults.  Poor  little 
Como,  plucky  in  spirit  from  her  vicinity  to  Switzerland, 
suffered  nearly  perpetual  oppression  from  more  powerful 
Milan,  so  that  a  local  poet  has  compared  the  siege  of  ten 
years  sustained  by  the  town  on  the  famous  lake  with  that 
of  Troy. 

Renan  suggests  that  the  internal  revolutions  of  the  small 
municipalities  of  antiquity  and  of  mediaeval  Italy  still 
move  our  enthusiasm  because  such  men  as  Miltiades, 
Aristides,  Dante,  and  Savonarola  were  involved  in  them. 

Is  there  not  an  element  in  these  encounters  of  the  Lom- 
bard towns  like  schoolboys  teasing  each  other,  with  Milan 
as  senior  scholar,  and  —  it  is  to  be  feared  —  chief  bully, 
relying  on  an  exchange  of  fisticuffs  in  the  main,  yet  ready 


A  TIGER  LILY.  135 

to  carry  their  grievances  to  the  master  on  occasion  ?  Such 
a  master  frequently  approached  over  the  Alps  in  the 
august   person  of  a  German  emperor. 

Frederic  I.  of  Hohenstaufen,  called  Barbarossa,  son  of 
the  Duke  of  Suabia,  was  born  in  1121,  elected  emperor  on 
the  death  of  his  uncle  Conrad  III.  in  March,  1152,  and 
in  1155  appeared  in  Italy  with  a  considerable  army,  com- 
ing by  the  route  of  Trent.  The  ultimate  aim  of  his  visit 
was  to  be  crowned  at  Rome  by  the  Pope  Adrian  IV.  He 
is  altogether  a  superb  figure  of  history,  the  man  with  the 
red  beard,  a  warmly  colored  vitality  like  the  tiger  lily,  a 
formidable  antagonist,  haughty,  choleric,  often  cruel,  yet 
endowed  with  heroic  qualities  of  courage  in  adversity,  and 
much  sagacity  as  a  sovereign.  Genoa  watched  his  pro- 
gress with  bated  breath,  cowering  under  her  mountain 
rampart,  as  he  put  towns  to  the  sword,  pillaged  the  coun- 
try for  the  maintenance  of  his  troops,  met  with  manifold 
delays  and  dangers  of  floods,  hunger,  and  defeat,  and  only 
reached  the  Eternal  City  after  the  Pope  had  burned  Arnold 
of  Brescia  at  the  stake,  as  well  as  made  arrogant  terms 
which  Barbarossa  could  ill  brook.  To  enter  the  deserted 
streets  of  Rome  with  the  Pope  was  only  to  have  the 
Romans  revolt  and  attack  the  Leonine  city.  Then  fol- 
lowed the  withdrawal  to  Spoleto,  with  his  soldiers  in 
dread  of  the  pestilential  fevers  of  the  season  prevailing 
around  Rome,  and  subsequent  overtures,  half  treaties,  half 
threats,  with  southern  Italy.  The  emperor  then  returned 
to  Germany. 

In  1157  the  fear  of  Barbarossa's  advent  had  induced 
Genoa  to  send  Guglielmo  Yento  and  Ansaldo  Doria  to 
make  a  treaty  with  William,  king  of  Sicily.  The  terms  of 
the  contract  were  these :  A  right  to  enter  the  port  of 
Messina  should  be  accorded  to  Genoese  vessels,  and  in 
exportation  they  should  pay  a  tax  on  every  two  bales  of 
merchandise  and  each  four  sacks  of  wheat ;  but  the  grain 


136  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

must  be  taken  only  to  Genoa.  Ships  arriving  in  Sicily 
from  Syria  or  Alexandria,  whether  Christian  or  Mahometan 
territory,  must  pay  three  per  cent  of  yalue  on  the  cargoes 
sold.  Entry  to  the  port  of  Palermo  exacted  a  tax  on  mho 
hundred  pounds  of  leather  and  on  one  hundred  pounds  of 
cotton,  as  well  as  twenty  per  cent  on  all  Genoese  cloth, and 
egress  free. 

In  1158  Barbarossa  entered  Italy  for  a  second  time  with 
a  large  army.  Hoes  he  not  resemble  some  great  and 
magnificenl  creature  of  the  cat  tribe,  fearful  when  aroused 
to  wrath,  with  glistening  eyes,  unsheathed  claws,  and 
plumy  tail  slowly  lashing  the  air,  yet  with  moods  of  purr- 
ing affability  as  well?  In  such  a  moment  of  magnanimity 
he  made  stringent  regulations  as  to  the  conduct  of  his 
soldiery  in  pillaging  unduly,  killing  natives,  or  firing  set- 
tlements. These  restrictions  did  not  inspire  too  much 
reassurance  in  towns  like  Cremona  and  Asti.  It  may  be 
at  this  time  that  he  blandly  composed  the  lines  attributed 
to  him  :  — 

"  Plaz  mi  cavalier  Franzes 
E  1'ovrar  del  Genoes 
Lo  can  tar  Provenzales, 
E  la  dania  Catalana, 
E  la  cour  de  Castellana, 
E  la  danza  Trevisana." 

The  powerful  paw  was  stretched  forth,  and  crushed  re- 
volted Milan  with  an  overwhelming  defeat,  even  to  taking 
away  her  carroccio.  The  land,  terrified  and  subdued, 
bowed  before  the  conqueror  as  those  harvest-fields  of 
millet  and  Turkish  wheat,  so  often  pilfered  in  the  season 
of  fruition,  swayed  before  the  north  wind.  Ambition  was 
stimulated  by  victory.  Frederic  remembered  that  the 
islands  of  Corsica  and  of  Sardinia  owed  him  fealty,  and 
sent  a  command  to  Genoa  and  Pisa  to  convey  an  imperial 
commissioner  to  those  distant  places  to  remind  them  of 


A  TIGER  LILY.  137 

their  duty.  Both  Republics  hesitated  to  obey.  Then  the 
anger  of  the  monarch  was  kindled,  and  he  turned  his 
frowning  glance  on  Genoa.  The  Sea  City  awoke  to  a  full 
realization  of  her  danger.  Would  the  irate  invader  forth- 
with lead  his  troops  to  the  attack,  and  punish  temerity  by 
laving  vigorous  siege  to  her  boundaries,  as  he  had  done 
to  so  many  other  towns  ?  The  situation  was  eminently 
critical,  yet  the  spirit  of  the  people  rose  equal  to  the  oc- 
casion. The  town  was  governed  by  six  consuls  that  year, 
Ansaldo  Malone,  Ogerio  di  Guidone,  Ionato  Crispino, 
Rubaldo  Bisaccia,  Ansaldo  Spinola,  and  Lanfranco  Ro- 
vere.  In  the  existing  crisis,  four  citizens  were  added 
to  the  number  of  rulers  as  notable  for  their  prudence 
and  sagacity.  These  were  Boemondo  di  Odone,  Corso 
Serra,  Guglielmo  di  Marino,  and  Opizo   Sardena. 

The  record  of  history  is  sober  in  detail :  These  men  be- 
cause of  their  diligence  completed  the  city  wall,  now 
known  as  the  old  wall,  around  the  Church  of  St.  Sabina, 
ascending  to  St.  Francis,  then  to  St.  Catherine,  and  then 
to  St.  Dominick  and  St.  Andrew,  terminating  at  the  Piazza 
of  Sarzana.  The  length  of  this  wall  was  five  miles,  the 
height  twenty  feet,  and  the  summit  furnished  with  battle- 
ments for  convenience  and  strength  in  action  offensive  and 
defensive.  Four-fifths  of  the  labor  was  achieved  in  fifty- 
three  days.  The  whole  population  worked  with  zeal,  di- 
vided into  their  respective  parishes.  Masons  and  the 
poorer  classes  received  wages,  while  the  wealthy  volun- 
teered their  services.  The  boundaries  were  strengthened 
by  palisades  and  redoubts,  timber  and  ships'  masts  being 
even  adopted  for  the  purpose.  The  consuls  placed  troops, 
consisting  of  archers  and  halberdiers,  on  the  mountains,  to 
watch  and  oppose,  if  essential ,  the  advance  of  the  much 
dreaded  foe.  Thus  as  much  work  was  done  in  a  few  weeks 
as  might  have  required  a  year  elsewhere. 

What  a  tumult  of  excitement  blended  of  fear  and  defi- 


138  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

ance  must  have  palpitated  in  a  passionate  southern  race, 
the  men  toiling  with  feverish  ardor,  the  women  and  chil- 
dren looking  on,  thrilled  with  sympathy,  and  helping  in 
the  common  cause  as  they  could,  —  fetching  food  and  drink, 
or  aiding  the  bruised  and  wounded.  Genoa  reached  an 
elevation  of  true  grandeur  in  that  momentous  hour  of  her 
history,  her  citizens  proving  the  truth  of  the  lines,  — 

"All  are  architects  of  Fate, 

Working  in  these  walls  of  Time, 

Some  with  massive  deeds  and  great, 

Some  with  ornaments  of  rhyme." 

How  the  voices  must  have  hummed  in  the  native  dialect ! 
This  dialect,  copious  in  sound,  accentuated  with  the  voice 
cut  off  in  many  inflections,  soft  in  avoiding  harsh  letters, 
rich  in  the  use  of  the  diphthong  like  the  Greek,  and  mixed 
with  many  other  dialects  of  very  old  origin,  was  used  by 
the  people  at  home,  and  in  traffic  with  Lombardy,  Prov- 
ence, Spain,  the  Arabs,  and  Greece.  Less  musical  and 
open  in  pronunciation  than  many  of  the  Italian  idioms, 
while  varied  and  characteristic,  it  is  better  adapted  to 
proverb  than  to  poetry  and  forcible  utterance  in  action. 
Alas  for  the  universal  Italian  language !  The  Tuscan 
servant  is  helpless  and  bewildered  in  the  fishmarket  of 
Genoa  to-day,  and  the  soldiers  of  the  garrison,  if  Pied- 
montese,  Sicilian,  or  Neapolitans,  equally  at  fault  to  under- 
stand the  flow  of  speech  eddying  about  them,  or  to  make 
themselves  intelligible. 

Barbarossa  did  not  appear,  and  the  storm  passed.  The 
natural  reaction  from  patriotic  fire  in  a  community  so 
long  wrought  to  a  high  pitch  of  self-sacrifice  was  worldly 
prudence.  Genoa  despatched  an  embassy  to  the  Man  with 
the  Red  Beard,  full  of  conciliation  and  address.  Caffaro  is 
said  to  have  been  one  of  the  number.  They  propitiated  the 
emperor  with  sumptuous  presents,  —  silk  tissues  from  the 


A  TIGER   LILY.  139 

spoils  of  tho  Saracens  at  Almeria.  and  lions  and  parrots 
from  Africa.     Barbarossa  was   pacified. 

In  his  subsequent  career  Genoa  maintained  the  cautious 
attitude  of  a  respectful  ally.  The  League  of  the  Lombard 
towns  was  formed,  the  rival  Popes,  Victor  IV.  and  Alex- 
ander III.,  were  elected;  and  Barbarossa,  recognizing  the 
claims  of  the  first,  was  excommunicated  by  the  second. 
The  disastrous  defeat  of  Legnano  took  place  in  1176,  and 
the  Peace  of  Constance  with  Lombardy  was  concluded  in 
1183.  The  emperor  joined  the  Third  Crusade,  with  an 
army  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  men,  and  marched 
into  Asia  Minor.  He  was  drowned,  or  killed  by  an  icy- 
cold  bath  in  the  river  Calycadnus. 

The  patriotic  spirit  of  self  defence  on  the  land  side  did 
not  become  extinct  in  the  breast  of  Genoa.  Sixty  years 
later  the  population  had  increased  to  the  extent  of  over- 
flowing the  earlier  limits  to  the  north,  as  well  as  along  the 
border  of  the  sea.  The  new  wall,  built  of  solid  and  dura- 
ble stone,  cut  in  cubic  form,  was  five  thousand,  five  hun- 
dred and  twenty  feet  in  length,  crowned  by  ten  thousand 
and  seventy  crenellations,  and  with  towers  at  stated  dis- 
tances apart.  Starting  from  the  base  of  the  height  of 
Sarzana  at  the  spot  where  the  old  wall  touched  the  water 
margin,  the  new  one  took  a  serpentine  form  on  the  heights 
above  the  churches  and  monasteries  of  San  Andrea,  San 
Domenico,  and  San  Francesco,  redescending  at  the  Church 
of  San  Agnese  to  San  Sabina.  This  was  an  immense 
increase  of  fortification.  The  churches  of  San  Siro  and 
of  the  Vigna  were  no  longer  outside  of  the  town.  The 
sea  was  the  western  limit  of  San  Pietro  dei  Banchi,  under 
the  name  of  Porta  dei  Vacci,  while  on  the  shore-line  the 
Borgo  di  Pre,  the  settlement  of  the  fishermen  and  sailors, 
became  included  in  the  suburbs. 

A  walled  city,  Genoa  still  basks  in  those  heroic  memo- 
ries  of   the   past.      In  site,  as   an   impregnable  fortress, 


140  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

she  may  not  be  impressive,  like  the  hill  towns,  —  Siena, 
glowing  a  rich  red  in  the  sunset ;  Volterra,  gray  and  grim 
on  her  Etruscan  foundations,  overlooking  an  arid  country, 
eaten  away  by  earthquakes ;  or  drowsy  Cortona,  bathed  in 
the  amber  haze  of  summer  heat,  —  but  she  may  ever  boast 
of  that  matchless  gateway  of  sea. 

The  flower  of  the  Imperial  Crown,  or  the  homely  tiger 
lily,  fades  and  shrivels  in  the  hot  sunshine  of  the  terrace 
at  Pegli,  even  as  the  earthly  power  of  the  great  Emperor 
Frederic  Barbarossa  has  long  crumbled  to  dust. 

The  old  German  tradition  lingers  with  the  fading  flower 
of  how  Barbarossa  is  not  dead,  but  sleeps  in  the  rocky 
fastnesses  of  the  enchanted  mountain,  clad  in  armor,  with 
his  elbows  resting  on  the  stone  table,  around  which  his 
beard  has  grown  nine  times.  When  the  bold  shepherd  in- 
truded on  his  retreat  the  great  emperor  inquired, — 

"  Do  the  crows  still  fly  about  the  mountain  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  stammered  the  shepherd. 

"  Then  I  will  slumber  again,"  said  the  drowsy  monarch, 
relapsing  into  silence. 


CHAPTER  X. 


AN   IDYL. 


THE  Romans  delineated  February,  usually  a  rainy 
month  in  Italy,  by  the  figure  of  a  woman  holding 
an  urn  from  which  water  flows  abundantly. 

On  the  Wednesday  of  Ashes,  the  beginning  of  Lent 
for  the  Catholic  world,  the  nymph  of  the  Roman  poet, 
symbolized  by  the  clouds  gathering  low  over  the  heights, 
pours  torrents  down  on  Genoa  from  the  hills.  The 
stranger  is  invariably  aggrieved  by  a  period  of  blotting 
mists,  leaden  vapors,  and  dripping  moisture  in  the  realms 
where  winter  sunshine  should  prevail.  Is  February  the 
month  of  rain?  The  feminine  divinity  of  the  Roman 
calendar  has  held  her  urn  tilted  over  Genoa  since 
November   this   season. 

After  all,  it  is  a  parched  and  thirsty  land.  No  water ! 
such  is  only  too  often  the  lament  of  drought-stricken 
towns  and  dusty  country  in  the  autumn.  Now  the  grum- 
bling peasants  must  be  contented  with  brimming  wells  and 
swollen  rivulets.  Many  records  of  past  centuries  reveal 
that  race  and  climate  are  unchanged.  Is  it  not  chronicled 
that  in  the  year  327  all  fountains  and  springs  within  the 
territory  of  Rome  were  dried  by  scarcity,  until  animals 
and  plants  alike  languished  and  perished  ?  Was  not  this 
fearful  misfortune  succeeded  by  another  of  equal  severity 
thirty-six  years  later?  As  another  extreme,  in  October, 
1407,  the  rainfall  at  Genoa  was  so  heavy  that  the  gate 


142  GENOA   THE   SUPERB. 

of  the  Fonteamorosa  was  thrown  down,  and  a  portion 
of  the  wall  ruined,  the  adjacent  houses  invaded,  the  sub- 
terranean conduit  of  Susiglia  broken,  the  boundary  above 
the  Church  of  Santa  Brigida  demolished  for  a  space  of 
eighty-four  feet,  and  the  water  stood  in  the  streets  at 
a  depth  of  six  feet. 

Unfurl  the  umbrella  and  sally  forth  into  the  streets 
of  Genoa.  The  gutters  of  high  roofs  spout  threatening- 
cascades  down  on  the  glistening  pavement  with  a  mo- 
notonous music ;  the  horses  of  the  tramway  slip  and 
stagger  around  steep  corners  ;  yonder  a  fragment  of  cor- 
nice has  fallen,  and  a  little  crowd  gathers  about  a  man 
wounded  in  the  head.  There  is  a  certain  element  of 
variety  and  excitement  in  walking  forth  in  Genoa  in 
bad  weather  akin  to  following  the  labyrinth  of  by-ways 
of  Venice  on  foot  under  similar  circumstances.  Um- 
brellas clash  together  unexpectedly,  carrying  off  hats  and 
imperilling  eyes  in  narrow  alleys,  or  the  vendor  of  sponges 
and  shells  causes  the  unwary  pedestrian  to  stumble  on 
a  flight  of  broken  steps. 

The  Salita  of  San  Matteo  leads  to  the  small  Piazza 
and  church  which  still  enshrines  the  memory  of  the  Doria 
family.  A  few  yards  only  apart  from  the  crowded  squares 
and  thoroughfares  of  the  town,  the  spot  is  secluded,  and 
full  of  memories.  How  massive  the  carvings  of  the  door- 
ways of  the  old  palaces  of  the  fifteenth  century !  How 
sombre  the  casements  from  which  scheming  statesmen, 
blooming  youth,  and  laughing  childhood  have  each  gazed 
forth  in  the  lapse  of  years !  Here  is  the  little  Church  of 
San  Matteo,  founded  in  1125,  by  Martino  Doria,  and  re- 
stored by  Andrea  Doria  as  the  chosen  tomb  of  himself. 
Rain  drips  on  the  striped  black  and  white  marbles  of  the 
edifice  used  in  public  buildings,  and  allowed  the  four 
great  families  of  Genoa,  the  Doria,  the  Spinola,  the  Fieschi, 
and  the   Grimaldi,  as  well,  and  the  shields  of  the  town 


Old  Door  of  the  Dor  la  Palace. 


AN  IDYL.  143 

supported  by  the  pilasters  of  the  facade.  In  the  interior 
of  the  temple  the  gloom  of  the  day  is  scarcely  dispelled 
by  the  cluster  of  golden  tapers  forming  stars  on  the  high 
altar,  above  which  hangs  the  sword  of  the  Doge,  sent  to 
him  l>y  the  Pope  Paul  III.  for  his  services  rendered  to 
the  church. 

A  priest  is  celebrating  Mass  at  a  side  altar,  and  a  few 
worshippers  come  and  go  in  a  desultory  way.  A  slender 
and  graceful  lady,  enveloped  in  black  lace,  glides  into  the 
place,  accompanied  by  a  middle-aged  attendant.  The  fair 
devotee,  after  kneeling  at  a  shrine,  passes  oat  into  the 
cloister.  To  the  idle  and  musing  stranger  this  Genoese 
furnishes  the  key-note  of  harmony  in  the  Church  of  San 
Mattco,  and  the  fame  of  the  remarkable  race  enshrined 
here  with  so  much  pomp  of  gilding  and  decoration. 

A  cloister  is  full  of  charm  in  dull  weather.  The  per- 
vading gray  hue  of  the  heavens  subdues  fading  frescoes 
still  more  to  the  tones  of  tombs,  chapels,  and  paved  quad- 
rangle ;  the  rain  whispers  and  patters  softly  on  adjacent 
roofs,  with  manifold,  half-articulate  voices  ;  and  the  rude 
gusts  of  wind  do  not  penetrate  the  sheltered  enclosure. 

In  the  cloister  of  San  Matteo,  the  sepulchral  inscriptions 
of  the  family  from  the  suppressed  convent  of  St.  Domi- 
nick  have  been  collected  and  arranged,  while  the  mutilated 
statues  of  Andrea  and  of  his  great-nephew  Gian  Andrea, 
which  were  overthrown  before  the  Palazzo  Ducale  in  the 
Revolution  of  1793,  seem  to  mount  guard  over  these  traces 
of  a  former  renown.  Here  are  inscriptions  to  Dorias  who 
were  governors  of  the  Republic  of  Genoa,  ambassadors  to 
France  and  Spain,  admirals,  captains,  and  warriors, —  a 
brilliant  company  of  the  past.  Here  are  the  names  of  the 
doubtless  great  ladies,  Isolta  Malaspina,  wife  of  Branca- 
leone  Doria,  and  of  Teodora  Spinola,  consort  of  Galeotto 
Doria. 

The  black-robed  form  of  the  fair  Genoese  flits  between 


144  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

the  columns  of  the  cloister.  She  pauses  before  a  mural 
tablet,  with  clasped  hands  and  head  slightly  bent  forward 
a  moment,  then  returns  to  the  church,  and  disappears. 
Is  she  mere  commonplace  flesh,  a  worshipper  at  San  Mat- 
teo  on  Ash  Wednesday,  or  a  vision  of  the  maiden  who 
founded  the  race,  and  whose  memory  even  is  an  idyl  ? 
The  entry  made  by  the  historian  of  the  church  reads  thus : 

"  Pietro  Rubaldo  Doria  was  the  son  of  Ardoino,  Count  of 
Narbonne,  who  married  Oria  di  Corrado  della  Volta  in  992, 
from  whom  the  family  of  Oria  dates  its  origin." 

Behold  !  Do  not  grave  modern  authors  assure  us  that 
history  is  very  hard  on  romance,  and  disdaining  all  cour- 
tesy, lifts  one  veil  after  another,  opens  closed  doors,  reveals 
secrets,  and  breaks  open  seals  ?  Beautiful  theories  are 
reputed  to  crumble,  and  old  dreams  to  vanish  away  before 
the  cynical  and  practical  tests  of  calm  investigation. 
Here  is  the  thread  of  pure  gold  in  romance  of  Oria  shining 
undimmed  in  the  little  Church  of  San  Matteo  after  so  many 
centuries.  We  do  not  know  too  much  about  her,  hence  an 
added  interest  of  conjecture  in  the  very  intangibility  of 
her  image,  delicate,  human,  and  mocking.  Women  did  not 
play  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  history  of  Genoa,  as  far  as 
we  can  learn  ;  but  rather  were  blended  into  the  common 
growth  and  power  of  the  Republic.  As  wives  and 
daughters  either  they  were  jealously  secluded  from  pub- 
lic affairs,  in  a  semi-Eastern  fashion,  or  their  annalists 
repressed  much  mention  of  them  as  unseemly.  We  do 
not  read  of  a  Genoese  Joan  of  Arc  rushing  into  the  breach 
of  any  bcsiegement  of  the  city,  or  taking  part  in  the  cru- 
sades, disguised  as  a  page  or  a  sailor.  Yet  the  mother 
and  possibly  the  grandmother  of  Columbus  must  have  been 
women  of  superior  qualities. 

Ardoino,  a  count  of  Narbonne,  once  visited  Genoa,  en 
route  for  Jerusalem,  after  the  manner  of  French  gentlemen 


AN  IDYL.  145 

of  his  day.  He  lodged  at  the  house  of  a  "  gentildonna," 
a  widow  of  the  family  Delia  Volta,  who  had  two  daughters, 
and  one  was  named  Orizia,  or  Oria.  We  are  not  vouch- 
safed satisfactory  explanation  of  the  circumstance.  Was 
it  a  patriarchal  phase  of  hospitality  in  fashion  that  the 
widow  received  the  stranger  into  her  domestic  circle  ? 
Did  he  bring  letters  of  introduction  from  his  native  France 
which  led  to  the  step  ?  Was  she  an  ambitious  matron, 
with  marriageable  and  dowerless  daughters,  and  designs 
on  an  eligible  suitor  ?  The  guest  fell  ill,  and  was  tenderly 
nursed  by  the  ladies  of  the  family.  Is  there  no  romance 
in  history  ?  The  Frenchman  recovered,  but  during  con- 
valescence, at  least,  began  to  experience  an  attachment 
for  the  fair  Oria.  Whether  the  patient  was  treated  or  not 
by  a  leech  as  learned  as  Master  Simon  of  Genoa,  who  took 
journeys  to  distant  lands  in  the  interests  of  botany,  and  in 
Candia  made  the  acquaintance  of  an  old  woman  learned 
in  simples,  who  accompanied  him  up  the  slopes  of  Mount 
Ida,  we  are  not  informed.  Whether  or  not  a  monk  re- 
nowned for  his  sanctity  was  induced  to  quit  the  laboratory 
of  some  monastery  of  the  town,  and  bring  to  the  couch  of 
the  sufferer  the  golden  and  white  ointments,  the  cordials 
and  unguents,  the  herbs  of  magical  properties,  hellebore 
and  pimpernel  for  melancholy,  and  absinthe  and  tarragon 
for  fevers,  we  may  only  conjecture.  Cupid  seems  to  have 
been  the  chief  doctor  on  the  occasion.  Did  Oria  mingle  a 
subtle  love-philtre  with  the  drink  of  the  sick  man,  secretly 
obtained  from  a  wizard  or  a  witch,  famous  in  her  quarter 
of  the  town,  and  thus  weave  a  spell  about  his  awakening 
senses  ?  Was  any  other  potion  necessary  to  quicken  the 
current  of  his  blood,  and  awaken  fresh  hopes  in  his  heart, 
than  her  own  captivating  presence  ?  Was  she  beautiful, 
this  Oria  ?  The  cavalier  was  a  Frenchman,  and  we  must 
infer  she  possessed  bright  eyes,  the  bloom  of  early  youth, 
or  some  especial  grace  of  tact  and  distinction  of  manner. 

10 


146  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

He  departed  for  Jerusalem,  returned  to  Genoa,  again 
lodged  with  the  widow,  and  married  Oria.  The  conclusion 
of  the  history  is  curious.  The  bridegroom  then  went  to 
Narbonne,  where,  after  waiting  for  three  years,  he  received 
his  portion  of  the  paternal  goods.  The  Italian  girl  and 
the  Sea  City  lured  him  to  abandon  native  land  and  kin- 
dred, and  to  dwell  henceforth  at  Genoa,  as  the  men  of  all 
nationalities  have  been  captivated  in  succeeding  centuries. 
The  pair  dwelt  near  the  Porta  d'Oria.  He  built  no  less 
than  two  hundred  houses ;  and  yet  Genoa  seems  to  have 
recognized  him  only  as  the  husband  of  Oria.  The  couple 
were  blessed  with  four  sons,  called  the  sons  of  Oria. 

The  cloister  of  San  Matteo  treasures  the  sepulchral  in- 
scriptions of  the  race,  founded  by  the  woman  whose  youth 
bloomed  in  the  year  992;  and  a  descendant  of  Oria, 
(d'Oria)  in  the  person  of  a  very  old  gentleman,  walks  the 
streets  of  Genoa  to  this  day. 


CHAPTER  XI. 
"what's  in  a  name?" 

THE  Romans  represented  October  by  a  hare  with  a 
basket  of  grapes  at  its  side. 

Autumn  glows  on  the  villa  terrace  at  Pegli,  and  the  in- 
habitants of  all  the  towns  of  the  vicinity  are  scattered 
through  the  country  revelling  in  the  fruition  of  the  vine- 
yards. A  plaster  copy  of  Michelangelo's  youthful  Bac- 
chus stands  half-embowered  in  laurel  near  the  wall.  The 
youthful  Bacchus  is  not  a  pleasing  composition  in  the 
golden  atmosphere  of  the  autumn  day,  or  in  the  vast  hall 
of  the  podesta  in  the  Bargello  at  Florence.  The  limbs 
of  adolescence  may  be  supple  and  beautiful,  the  pose  of 
the  figure  graceful ;  but  he  is  of  the  earth,  earthy,  and  he 
sips  the  cup  of  wine  held  to  his  lips  with  a  deliberate, 
even  cynical  intention  of  getting  tipsy  rather  than  any 
foolish,  boyish  eagerness  of  inexperience  and  healthy  thirst. 
The  frisky  little  goat  slily  nibbling  the  clusters  of  grapes 
depending  carelessly  from  the  grasp  of  the  god  has  a  more 
attractive  animal  innocence  of  appetite. 

Many  years  ago  in  the  annals  of  Genoa,  in  1102,  among 
the  six  consuls  elected  for  a  new  magistracy  was  a  certain 
Guido  Spinola,  who  with  his  brother  Oberto,  is  mentioned 
as  a  son  of  the  "  vicecount  "  Belo  Spinola.  The  father  of 
the  latter  was  another  Oberto,  and  he  in  turn  the  offspring 
of  a  first  "  vicecount "  Guido,  who  dwelt  in  the  Valle  of 
Polcevera  at  a  place  named  Carmen,  or  Carmadino.     To 


148  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

him  the  noble  House  of  Spinola  traces  its  origin.  The 
name  is  one  of  the  jests  of  history,  meaning  the  spigot  of 
a  wine-cask.  No  charm  of  romance  attaches  to  the  jovial 
host  to  whom  it  was  applied  like  the  interesting  fact  of  the 
sons  of  Oria  (figli  oV Oria)  retaining  the  Christian  ap- 
pellation of  their  fair  mother  in  founding  an  illustrious 
race. 

This  Messer  Guido  of  a  remote  date  seems  to  have  been 
a  country  gentleman  of  the  traditional  type  of  boon  com- 
panion of  all  ages.  He  may  have  actually  belonged  to  the 
superior  class  of  hospitable  proprietor  of  the  Florentine 
citizen,  Agnolo  Pandolfini,  who  received  Pope  and  poet  at 
his  villa  at  Signa,  the  English  squire,  the  Irish  nobleman, 
and  the  Virginian  planter  of  Colonial  days,  and  some  witty 
and  ungrateful  guest  have  made  sneering  allusion  to  a 
fondness  for  winebibbing  on  his  part  which  attached  to 
him  for  life,  like  the  nicknames  so  readily  given  in  Italy 
still. 

Messer  Guido  kept  open  house  up  yonder  in  the  fertile 
and  smiling  region  of  the  Valle  di  Polcevera.  He  enter- 
tained the  strangers  (forestieri')  in  large  numbers  and  in 
a  liberal,  even  magnificent,  manner.  Were  these  forestieri 
Italians  from  Lombardy,  Piedmont,  and  Tuscany,  or  aliens 
in  the  land,  French,  German,  and  Spanish  ?  The  host 
invariably  broached  a  new  cask  of  wine  on  the  arrival  of 
fresh  guests.  In  Geneose  the  word  to  spinolare  was  to 
draw  wine  of  various  vintages  from  pipe  or  barrel,  as  the 
Tuscan  term  for  tapping  a  similar  receptacle  is  to  spillare. 
The  visitors  of  Messer  Guido,  going  their  way  laughing  a 
little  in  their  sleeves,  —  like  the  bevy  of  ungrateful  wasps 
they  were,  —  came  to  designate  him  il  Spiyiola  (the  spigot) 
from  the  frequency  with  which  he  opened  his  tuns  of 
precious  and  various  wines,  amidst  the  feasting  offered  in 
all  the  abundance  of  a  country  estate.  His  descendants 
adopted  the  name  and  the  emblem.     Above  the  twenty- 


"WHAT'S   IN  A  NAME?"  149 

four  quarterings,  white  and  vermilion,  of  the  scutcheon 
of  the  Spinola  there  is  a  design  afi^rmed  by  the  initiated 
to  be  a  spina  (an  awl,  a  puncheon),  an  instrument  by 
means  of  which  wine  is  drawn  from  a  cask.  Other  au- 
thorities maintain  that  the  spina  was  added  on  the  ter- 
mination of  certain  litigation  between  Spinoli  and  Spinoli 
and  with  the  Marquis  of  Monferrato,  whose  insignia  was 
a  spina,  perhaps  in  the  sense  of  a  plant,  a  white  thorn,  or 
a  hawthorn.  Who  does  not  prefer  to  trace  the  sobriquet 
to  the  roystering  count,  the  ancestor  of  the  race,  who 
was  so  much  addicted  to  testing  the  qualities  of  his  own 
vintage  if  he  could  find  an  excuse  in  the  arrival  of  a 
guest  ?  Does  the  expansive  host  of  any  land  with  a 
good  cook  and  a  well  stored  wine-cellar  ever  lack  the 
visitors  ?  Do  they  depart  from  his  well-spread  board  in 
London,  Paris,  and  New  York  disposed  to  criticize  his 
mode  of  entertaining  them,  designating  him  as  il  Spinola, 
or  its  equivalent  in  other  tongues  ? 

One  is  reminded  afresh  of  the  Red  Book  of  King  Rend 
and  the  blazons  of  a  punning  character.  If  Provence  had 
a  castle  for  the  family  of  Castellane  and  a  grasshopper  for 
Grille,  or  Rome  the  short  column  of  the  Flagellation  for 
the  Colonna,  Florence  a  tuft  of  garlic  on  the  arms  of  the 
Agli,  and  Verona  little  ladders  sculptured  on  tomb  and 
palace  to  the  glory  of  the  rulers  Delia  Scala,  why  may  not 
Genoa  have  boasted  of  a  spigot  in  her  turn  ?  The  very 
name  of  the  restless  lords  Malaspina  of  the  Lunigiana, 
who  intrigued  now  with  Lucca  and  Florence,  and  then  sold 
castles  to  Genoa,  may  have  suggested  Thorn-in-the-Flesh, 
while  there  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  evil  wrought  in  their 
day  of  power  by  the  Malatesta  (the  Badheads)  of  Rimini. 
Who  applied  these  names  and  emblems  originally  ?  They 
must  have  been  dictated  by  the  sovereign  pleasure  of 
emperor,  king,  or  prince  from  the  seriousness  with  which 
vassals  and  their  descendants  accepted  the  fiat,  dubbing 


150  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

themselves  forever  Garlic,  Spigot,  or  Ladders.  The  mock- 
ery in  jest  of  court  dwarf  or  rhyming  troubadour,  casting 
about  in  the  mind  for  some  fresh  witticism  at  the  expense 
of  a  luckless  courtier,  would  scarcely  have  been  meekly 
submitted  to  even  by  posterity.  Mankind  in  our  time 
would  not  be  christened  Mr.  Onion  or  the  family  Grass- 
hopper without  a  struggle,  appealing  to  Pope,  King,  or 
Republic  to  be  created  instead  Marquis  of  the  Golden 
Mountains  or  Clarence  Sydney  Montmorency. 

Whence  came  Count  Guido  of  winebibbing  propensities  ? 
He  seems  to  have  emerged  from  the  dim  and  misty  border- 
land of  tradition  as  a  landed  proprietor  in  the  valley  near 
Genoa.  He  may  have  been  a  lineal  descendant  of  one  of 
those  tribes  of  the  early  inhabitants,  the  Genoati  and  the 
Viturii,  summoned  to  Rome  to  settle  their  disputes,  and 
at  whom  the  senate  shook  the  finger  of  admonition  in  erect- 
ing the  bronze  tablet.  He  may  have  been  granted  the 
property  by  a  German  emperor  for  his  loyal  services  as  a 
soldier,  and  had  Bavarian,  Tyrolese,  or  Suabian  blood  in 
his  veins.  The  most  picturesque  figure  of  the  Middle  Ages 
is  the  Teutonic  cavalier  seeking  Italy  in  the  train  of  his 
liege  master  the  emperor,  owning  only  his  horse,  his 
armor,  and  his  sword,  like  Eccelino  of  Treviso,  progenitor 
of  the  tyrant  of  the  name.  A  marquis  of  Pallavicino  came 
to  Genoa  on  a  mission  from  King  Robert  of  Naples,  and 
was  commended  as  a  courtier  full  of  grace  and  courtesy. 
The  feudal  lords  of  the  vicinity  held  their  own  with  a  high 
hand,  and  were  apt  to  levy  tribute  on  the  weak  and  help- 
less, in  the  mode  of  the  bold  barons  of  the  Rhineland. 
The  counts  of  Ventimiglia,  of  the  family  of  Caretto,  held 
the  marquisate  of  Final ;  the  Marquis  of  Ceva  and  of 
Clavesana  ruled  above  ;  in  the  north  the  formidable  robber 
the  Marquis  de  Gavi,and  in  the  high  mountains  the  power- 
ful seigneurs  the  counts  of  Piedmont  and  the  Marquis  of 
Monferrato,  cast  a  haughty  defiance  at  all  the  world,  except 


"WHAT'S  IN  A  NAME?"  151 

when  they  saw  fit  to  make  good  terms  with  republican 
Genoa  by  sharing  in  the  expeditions  to  the  Holy  Land. 
The  Marquis  of  Gavi  closed  the  Apennine  gorges  from  his 
eastle  at  the  base  of  the  mountains  and  the  stronghold  of 
Voltaggio  at  pleasure,  or  levied  oppressive  toll  on  his 
neighbors.  The  podesta  of  Genoa  was  forced  to  sally  forth 
with  an  armed  band,  and  give  him  a  lesson  for  his  mis- 
deeds.  Eventually  the  Sea  City  purchased  of  him  Voltag- 
gio, with  all  revenues,  for  the  sum  of  four  hundred  golden 
livres,  in  1121. 

Our  country  gentleman  appears  to  have  contented  him- 
self with  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  own  land.  His  descen- 
dants came  to  dwell  in  Genoa,  their  habitation  being  first 
in  the  Contrada  San  Luca ;  and  later  the  two  brothers 
Guglielmo  and  Giacobo  Spinola  left  San  Luca  for  the 
Contrada  Lucoli. 

Hallam  writes :  — 

"  The  philosophy  of  history  embraces  far  more  than  the 
wars  and  treaties,  the  factions,  the  cabals  of  common  political 
narration  ;  it  extends  to  whatever  illustrates  the  character  of 
the  human  species  in  a  particular  period,  to  their  reasonings 
and  sentiments,  their  art  and  industry.7' 

The  youthful  Bacchus  basks  in  the  October  warmth  on 
the  terrace  at  Pegli,  languidly  sipping  the  brimming  cup 
held  to  his  lips,  with  that  smile  of  sinister  anticipation. 
The  children  of  the  gate-keeper,  Lorenzo,  crouch  around  a 
heaped-up  basket  of  grapes,  eating  the  luscious  fruit,  like 
the  little  goat  on  the  pedestal  of  the  statue.  A  soft  haze 
broods  over  the  slopes  at  the  base  of  the  hills,  like  the 
transparent  tissues  of  silver  and  gold  brought  by  Genoese 
merchants  in  their  galleys  from  the  Levant  of  old;  and 
through  this  medium  of  atmosphere  the  country  reveals 
richly  blended  tones  of  color.  In  the  drowsy  stillness  of 
the   day   bursts   of  song   and   laughter    are    occasionally 


152  GENOA   THE   SUPERB. 

audible  in  the  distant  vineyards,  where  proprietor's  family 
and  contadini  alike  are  busy  severing  the  heavy  bunches 
from  the  vines,  carrying  the  fragrant  burdens  to  the  vats, 
and  treading  out  the  juice  in  these  huge  receptacles. 

How  many  years  ago  Count  Guido  of  convivial  fame  on 
such  a  day  rambled  through  his  own  vineyards,  and 
watched  the  process  of  wine-making !  Truly,  "  What 's  in 
a  Name  ?  " 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A    CHURCH    LAMP. 

EASTER  DAY  at  Genoa !  The  resurrection  of  the 
Springtime  is  visible  in  sky,  sea,  and  earth,  with 
flowers  blooming  everywhere,  in  the  courtyards  of  the  town, 
on  the  terraces  of  olive  plantations,  and  beside  the  dusty 
highway.  The  Mediterranean  is  the  sapphire  gate  of  the 
East.  The  play  of  the  waters  has  an  element  of  the  allur- 
ing and  caressing  in  the  rippling  sparkle  of  each  wave- 
crest.  The  vessels  abroad  are  more  buoyant  in  movement 
than  usual ;  little  fleets  of  fishing-boats  from  both  Rivieras 
tack  on  the  horizon  line,  with  white  sails  cocked  at  a 
certain  angle,  like  the  wings  of  insects  of  the  gnat  tribe,  or 
isolated  craft  with  lateen  sheets  of  a  warm,  crimson-brown 
hue  scud  nimbly  across  the  entrance  to  the  port. 

In  the  harbor  a  modern  steamer  is  preparing  to  depart 
for  Bombay,  Aden,  Turkey  in  Asia,  or  the  Black  Sea.  In 
the  year  1064,  Ingulphe,  secretary  of  William  the  Con 
queror,  made  a  journey  to  Jerusalem,  thirty-five  years 
before  the  Crusades,  and  met  a  fleet  of  Genoese  vessels  at 
Joppa.  He  took  passage  on  one  of  these  for  Europe.  The 
Genoese  galleys  in  the  eleventh  century  thriftily  took 
passengers  from  port  to  port,  or  fetched  home  the  weary 
and  fainting  pilgrims,  who  had  sought  the  shrines  of  the 
Holy  Land,  imbued  with  religious  zeal.  The  Genoese 
were  the  Florio  and  Rubattino  lines,  the  French  Messagerie, 
and  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  in  one,  of  those  days. 


154  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

The  Italian  philosopher  exclaims :  "  Nothing  on  the 
earth  is  new,  or  which  has  not  before  occurred  in  some 
remote  time ;  all  in  this  world  resembles  that  which  has 
been,  and  those  events  still  to  transpire  will  be  like  the 
present,  as  Nature  invariably  conducts  affairs  by  the  same 
thread." 

The  holiday  tide  of  town  and  country  has  mingled  at 
earlier  hours  in  the  churches  at  Genoa,  and  revelled  in  the 
noonday  feasting  of  the  family  board,  at  the  favorite  cafe, 
and  the  humble  suburban  inn,  on  such  national  dishes  as 
pasta  stuffed  with  forcemeat,  eggs,  and  cheese,  goat's  milk 
cheese,  taglierini  (the  ribbon  vermicelli),  and  sour  wine  of 
Monferrato.  The  pervading  mood  is  noisy,  gay,  and  inno- 
cent enough,  —  a  part  of  the  genial  spring  warmth,  the 
flower  in  every  man's  coat,  or  decking  the  glossy  hair  of 
each  maiden  if  she  belongs  to  the  lower  classes,  and  may 
not  boast  of  a  fashionable  hat.  The  public  creed  is  clearly  : 
"  Let  us  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry  in  the  Easter  season. 
Let  us  strive  to  forget  heavy  taxation,  military  conscription, 
the  building  of  great  ships  of  war,  and  the  personal  Gen- 
oese grievance  of  having  had  the  naval  station  removed 
from  our  waters  to  the  Gulf   of  fair  Spezia." 

When  the  crowd  ebbs  away  a  little,  in  the  late  hours  of 
the  afternoon,  to  public  garden  or  square,  to  enjoy  the  con- 
cert of  a  band,  and  prepare  for  the  diversion  of  evening,  let 
us  seek  the  Church  of  St.  Lawrence.  The  square  has  a  few 
groups  of  country  people  straggling  about  in  an  aimless 
fashion,  —  stout  and  buxom  women  clad  in  woollen  gowns 
of  purple  or  brown  plaid  stuff,  such  as  Italian  peasants,  at 
least  of  Lombardy  and  Tuscany,  invariably  adopt  for  best 
attire,  irrespective  of  the  season  of  year,  and  sun-bronzed 
men  smoking  the  long,  thin  native  cigar.  If  the  youth  of 
Italy  offered  on  the  altar  of  country  the  tobacco  consumed 
in  airy  cigarette,  cigar,  and  pipe,  what  would  be  the  annual 
balance  of  money,  now    vanished  in   smoke,   leaving   the 


Detail  of  the  Portico  of  San  Lorenzo. 


A   CHURCH    LAMP.  155 

problem    of    insufficient    food,   debt,   and    lack    of    work 
unsolved  ? 

A  flower  girl  proffers  the  contents  of  her  basket  at  the 
church  steps,  with  a  coaxing  smile,  —  creamy  roses,  violets, 
sprays  of  pink  hyacinths,  and  yellow,  double  narcissus, 
favorite  of  the  poets,  flagrant  enough  to  make  Arcadian 
shepherds  swoon  of  the  cloving  sweetness. 

San  Lorenzo  has  a  stately  aspect,  such  as  renders  it  the 
most  fitting  expression  of  the  day  amidst  the  life  of  a  careless 
multitude.  The  modern  lions  guard  the  steps  with  a  digni- 
fied mien  of  massive  strength  ;  the  different  phases  of  ar- 
chitecture in  the  building  above  harmonize  in  the  radiant 
atmosphere  of  spring ;  and  the  zones  of  black  and  white 
marble  of  the  lower  portion  of  the  facade,  dating  from 
the  thirteenth  century,  have  a  smooth  and  lustrous  appear- 
ance. This  was  one  of  the  earliest  and  most  renowned 
temples  of  the  Middle  Ages,  "built  of  the  best  proportions, 
and  with  a  facade  without  parallel  in  all  Italy,"  according 
to  the  boast  of  Genoese  pride.  It  was  erected  in  the 
twelfth  century,  out  of  the  materials  of  a  much  earlier 
church.  In  the  year  1118  Pope  Gelasius  II.  fled  from 
the  persecution  of  the  Frangipani  at  Rome,  and,  embark- 
ing at  Gaeta,  reached  Genoa  in  safetw  where  such  fugi- 
tives were  almost  invariably  respectfully  received,  and 
warmly  aided.  He  consecrated  the  Church  of  San  Lorenzo 
with  much  solemnity  of  ceremonial.  In  1389,  Urban  VI. 
visited  Genoa,  and  granted  plenary  indulgence  to  all  citi- 
zens who  performed  their  devotions  at  San  Lorenzo  on  the 
day  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  similar  to  the  privil 
accorded  to  the  Venetians  who  prayed  in  the  Church  of 
San  Marco  on  Ascension  Day. 

The  interior  of  the  cathedral  is  silent  and  deserted  at 
this  hour.  The  air  is  heavy  and  stifling  with  incense, 
candles,  and  the  thronging  crowds  of  earlier  services. 
Here  and  there  a  devout   penitent  glides  to  some  favorite 


156  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

shrine,  or  a  group  of  canons  cross  the  chancel.  A  cicerone 
demands  in  hollow  tones  if  the  visitor  wishes  to  be  shown 
the  treasures  of  the  sacred  edifice,  and  vanishes  on  receiv- 
ing a  negative  response.  The  intruder  experiences  that 
sensation  of  tranquillity,  if  not  of  religious  awe,  of  being 
alone  in  a  vast,  dim  church,  in  the  waning  hours  of  day, 
before  the  vesper  bells  begin  to  ring,  which  is  so  attractive. 
All  the  light  of  the  place  seems  concentrated  in  the  lamps 
of  the  shrine  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  on  the  left  of  the 
entrance,  with  rich  effect,  as  the  twilight  increases.  These 
lamps  are  reputed  to  have  come  from  the  plunder  of  the 
Saracens  at  Almeria.  Instinctively  fancy  selects  the  one 
swaying  on  the  right  as  the  most  beautiful,  and  lending 
still,  by  its  trembling  ray,  a  fresh  nimbus  of  glory  to  the 
records  of  the  Sea  City.  Was  it  wrought  by  a  Moorish 
silversmith  for  a  mosque  ?  Did  it  ever  serve  to  softly  illu- 
minate a  Moslem  shrine  as  splendid  as  that  of  Cordova? 
The  witchery  of  the  lamp  consists  in  this  symbolism  of 
two  religions  blended  in  a  fantastic  way, — the  pure  and 
steady  flame  of  Christianity  burning  at  the  core,  like  the 
life-germ  in  the  chalice  of  a  flower  ;  and  the  fretwork  of 
sparkling  rim  and  wrought  chains  emitting  an  elusive  and 
fitful  radiance  in  a  complicated  shadow  pattern,  not  unlike 
a  visionary  and  poetical  creed,  on  the  variegated  marble  of 
Corinthian  columns  beyond,  and  the  tombs  of  archbishops 
and  dignitaries  of  the  Republic  long  since  buried  here  with 
all  the  pomp  of  an  imposing  ritual,  shrouded  in  cloth-of- 
gold  in  the  deeper  obscurity  of  arch  and  nave. 

San  Lorenzo  may  not  attract,  or  indeed  overwhelm  the 
imagination  of  the  new-comer,  as  do  those  vast  sanctuaries, 
the  Pisan  Cathedral,  built  of  rare  marbles  brought  from  the 
Orient  by  her  renowned  architects,  the  golden-toned  shrine 
of  San  Marco  at  Venice,  and  the  severe  spaciousness  of  the 
Florence  Duomo;  yet  it  has  a  claim  of  interest  in  the  asso- 
ciations of  the  Sea  City  witli  the  East.     In  addition,  the 


A   CHURCH   LAMP.  157 

Metropolitan  church  of  Genua  forms  an  element  of  value 
in  the  remarkable  impulse  of  the  thirteenth  century  to 
embellish  and  enlarge  possessions  which  stimulated  Italy, 
city  in  active  emulation  of  rivalry  with  city.  The  walls  of 
towns,  churches,  and  municipal  palaces  rose  at  this  date 
Milan  constructed  the  great  canal  which  utilized  the  waters 
of  the  Tessin  at  a  distance  of  thirty  miles  between  the 
years  1179  and  1257.  Genoa  built  two  dockyards  and 
the  great  wall  of  the  Mole  from  1276  to  1285,  bridges  of 
stone  on  both  Rivieras,  and  paved  the  si  reds  and  squares 
with  large  stones.  In  1295  the  aqueduct  brought  an 
abundance  of  pure  water  from  the  high  mountains,  when 
no  other  town  of  Italy  had  accomplished  a  similar  under- 
taking. 

The  lamp's  beam  falls  on  the  Baptist's  shrine,  which  no 
woman  may  enter  except  on  one  day  of  the  year,  and 
where  is  treasured  the  stone  reliquary,  brought  from  Pales- 
tine, containing  his  remains.  Let  us  regard  the  relics  of 
San  Lorenzo  with  all  possible  respect,  if  the  sandal  of  the 
great  preacher  in  the  wilderness  came  to  the  Empress 
Galla  Placida  at  Ravenna,  as  in  a  vision,  and  the  holy 
coat  of  Treves  is  exhibited  on  occasion.  The  historical 
value  of  Genoa's  relics  would  alone  redeem  them  from  the 
imputation  of  being  puerile  trifles.  Behold  !  Is  not  a 
fragment  of  the  true  cross  kept  in  San  Lorenzo  ?  This 
precious  object  and  the  ashes  of  the  Baptist  were  brought 
forth  to  calm  the  tempests  of  the  sea,  to  quell  popular 
tumults  in  the  city,  and  were  employed  as  ministers  of 
reconciliation  by  the  archbishops.  The  crosses  of  differ- 
ent churches  and  oratories  ever  played  a  very  conspicuous 
part  in  Genoese  pageants  of  a  religious  character,  and  the 
young  men  had  a  pedestal  of  precious  metals  made,  at 
their  own  expense,  whereon  to  carry  the  treasure  of  San 
Lorenzo  in  processions.  Apart  from  the  consideration  of 
any  veneration  inspired   in  the  faithful  by  such  things,  a 


158  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

strange  picture  of  the  times  is  afforded  by  the  vicissitudes 
which  befell  this  morsel  of  the  true  cross.  About  the  year 
1232  a  rascal  was  given  shelter  in  San  Lorenzo,  and  in  the 
night  broke  open  the  coffer  containing  the  crosses,  stole 
them,  and  fled.  The  loss  spread  consternation  through 
the  city,  as  a  public  calamity.  Possession  of  the  heads, 
arms,  or  hands  of  saints  signified  some  victorious  struggle 
with  Venice  or  Pisa  in  the  East.  The  thief  was  pursued, 
and  overtaken  at  Alexandria,  but  he  had  been  despoiled  of 
the  booty,  in  turn.  At  length  the  missing  articles  were 
traced ;  Genoa  repurchased  her  sacred  Palladium  for  four 
hundred  livres,  and  replaced  it  in  a  coffer  bound  with  iron. 
The  archbishop  instituted  a  solemn  anniversary  to  cele- 
brate this  restoration,  and  the  revenues  of  that  day  were 
devoted  to  the  redemption  of  captives.  Otherwise  the  in- 
come of  the  sanctuary  from  the  crosses  was  given  to  the 
Commune  to  aid  in  the  construction  of  the  Mole,  and  the 
improvement  of  the  port.  Several  centuries  later,  in  the 
Spanish  and  German  siege  of  Genoa,  a  Teutonic  captain 
attempted  to  force  the  sacristy  of  San  Lorenzo.  The 
canons  are  reputed  to  have  defended  their  jewelled  shrines 
with  courage  on  the  occasion,  and  ultimately  gave  the 
soldier  of  fortune  one  thousand  ducats  to  leave  them  un- 
molested. 

The  lamp's  ray  weaves  shadows  across  the  pavement. 
No  church  of  Europe  more  vividly  recalls  the  brilliant, 
romantic,  and  curious  episode  of  the  Crusades  than  this 
one.  The  ardor  of  human  passions,  the  frenzy  of  religious 
enthusiasm,  and  the  cold  calculation  of  political  ambition 
have  all  waged  their  fierce  conflicts  in  this  silent  place. 
In  the  wavering  glimmer  of  the  lamp  slight  effort  of  im- 
agination is  requisite  to  people  the  temple  with  phantom 
throngs,  pressing  to  the  goal  of  the  Holy  Land,  —  the  early 
Christians  ;  illustrious  Romans,  fleeing  from  sacrilegious 
Rome  to  seek  in  Galilee  and  Judea  that  peace  which  the 


A  CHURCII  LAMP.  159 

world  cannot  give  ;  pilgrims  from  the  forests  of  Germany, 
Gaul,  the  Rhone,  the  Rhine,  the  Moselle,  and  the  Danube, 
prepared  to  brave  encountering  the  invading  armies  of 
Huns  and  Goths  if  only  they  might  gain  the  shrines  of 
Palestine,  and  be  baptized  in  the  waters  of  Jordan.  The 
mania  has  a  parallel  in  the  annual  journeying  to  Mecca  of 
Moslem  fanatics  in  modern  times.  The  Emperor  Con- 
stantine  and  the  Empress  Helena  decorated  the  cavern 
venerated  by  Christendom  as  the  Holy  Sepulchre  with  in- 
crustations of  marble,  and  columns,  to  the  wonder  and  awe 
of  the  simple  folk  flocking  hither  from  the  barbarous  re- 
gions of  northern  Europe.  The  longing  for  pilgrimage 
did  not  diminish  with  the  lapse  of  years,  as  all  sins  com- 
mitted by  crime-laden  Europe  could  be  purified  at  the 
sacred  sources  of  repentance  in  Palestine.  Numerous  peni- 
tents, like  Robert,  Count  of  Flanders,  and  Berengarius  II., 
Count  of  Barcelona,  traversed  the  burning  road  in  humility 
of  expiation.  At  Easter,  sinners  especially  thronged  to 
Jerusalem  from  earliest  times,  to  witness  the  miracle  of 
the  lighting  of  the  lamps  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  from 
Heaven,  and  without  human  aid.  Then  followed  the  rise 
of  Mahomet,  with  the  subjugation  of  Persia,  Syria,  Egypt, 
Carthage,  the  borders  of  the  Caspian  Sea ;  and  Constanti- 
nople threatened  a  new  creed,  overturning  nations  and 
customs.  The  Christian  pilgrim-tide,  receiving  a  check  in 
the  invasion  of  Judea,  flowed  back  across  the  sea  with  tears 
and  lamentations.  Europe,  fearing  that  the  hour  of  con- 
quest and  annihilation  for  western  States  by  this  mighty 
host  would  follow,  trembled  in  the  balance. 

Single  figures  and  groups  become  detached  from  the  mul- 
titude in  the  lamp's  radiance.  Peter  the  Hermit,  wan, 
enraptured,  consumed  by  fiery  zeal,  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able personalities  of  history,  if  only  for  the  influence  he 
wielded,  traverses  different  countries,  mounted  on  his  mule, 
his  coarse  robe  fastened  by  a  cord,  feet  and  head  bare, 


160  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

crucifix  in  hand,  preaching  the  First  Crusade.  In  response 
the  host  arose,  princes  with  their  vassals,  bishops,  veteran 
warriors,  artisans  and  merchants  quitting  their  trades, 
monks  vowed  never  to  abandon  the  seclusion  of  their 
cloister,  anchorites  from  isolated  retreats,  women  and 
children,  the  old  and  infirm  not  to  be  left  behind,  assas- 
sins and  thieves,  —  all  intent  on  rescuing  the  Holy  Land 
from  the  usurpation  of  the  infidel,  with  the  common  badge 
of  the  red  cross  sewed  to  their  garments.  May  one  won- 
der, in  our  day,  if,  when  Peter  the  Hermit  retired  for 
sixteen  years  of  prayer  and  meditation  at  the  close  of  his 
life,  the  fever  and  madness  of  the  enterprise  over,  his 
mind  was  ever  troubled  with  misgivings  as  to  the  blood 
shed,  the  pestilence  engendered  in  camps,  the  sufferings 
endured  by  the  humble  and  the  ignorant,  and  the  violent 
deeds  committed  by  the  wicked  in  that  angry  sea  of 
humanity  of  which  his  eloquence  unloosened  the  flood- 
gates ?  What  is  the  earthly  fame  of  Godfrey  de  Bouillon 
now,  more  than  the  scintillating  spark  of  the  lamp  ?  Most 
valiant  captain  of  his  age,  Godfrey  de  Bouillon  is  still  the 
brilliant  chief  of  the  rich  page  of  the  Middle  Ages,  con- 
trolling skilfully  the  heterogeneous  elements  of  his  army, 
from  the  quarrels  over  gaming  in  the  sumptuous  tents  of 
the  nobles  to  the  rash  sorties  of  youth ;  besieging  Antioch, 
where  the  followers  of  the  Nazarene  were  first  called 
Christians;  storming  Jerusalem  with  the  famous  wooden 
towers  so  largely  built  by  the  Genoese,  and  being  elected 
king,  but  solely  in  name,  as  he  declined  to  be  crowned 
with  gold  on  the  spot  where  Jesus  was  crowned  only  with 
thorns.  When  the  Emir  of  Cesarea  brought  him  the  gift 
of  the  fruits  of  Palestine,  he  accepted  the  poisoned  citron, 
and  died.  The  lamp  calls  into  being  once  more,  with  flash 
of  steel  and  ring  of  mailed  tunics,  those  cavaliers  who 
flocked  to  the  standard  from  Languedoc,  Provence,  or 
Auvergne,  —  Pons  de  Balazan,  Raymond  de  Lille,  William, 


A   CHURCH   LAMP.  1G1 

Seigneur  of  Montpellier,  Roger,  Comte  de  Foix,and  Gaston, 
Viscount  of  Beam. 

The  first  crusade  took  place  in  1096,  under  command  of 
Godfrej  de  Bouillon,  the  second  in  1148  with  the  Emperor 
Conrad  and  Louis  VII.  of  France  as  leaders;  while  Fred- 
eric  Barbarossa,  Philippe  Augustus,  and  Richard  of  Eng- 
land shared  the  third  in  1189.  Other  forces  sought  Judea 
in  the  intervals  of  these  campaigns.  How  probable  it  is 
that  all  of  these  valiant  crusaders  have  walked  the  aisles 
of  the  Church  of  San  Lorenzo  at  Genoa,  going  or  returning 
on  their  mission,  as  well  as  the  Count  of  Narbonne,  who 
•used  the  fair  Oria.  Richard  the  Lion  Hearted  and 
Frederic  Barbarossa  certainly  visited  the  Sea  City,  while 
the  Emperor  Conrad  granted  Genoa  certain  privileges  of 
coining  money  ! 

Surely  the  interior  of  the  sacred  edifice  is  suddenly 
illuminated  with  a  splendor  not  due  to  the  Baptist's  shrine, 
a  sparkling  prism  of  colors,  as  of  the  purity  of  a  beryl 
stone,  or  the  green  tints  of  sea  water  rippling  over  tropical 
coral  reefs.  This  glistening  light  can  only  emanate  from 
the  Sacro  Catino,  the  most  precious  object  of  the  treasury. 
Taken  by  the  Genoese  in  the  plunder  of  Cesarea,  it  is 
variously  estimated  to  have  been  a  gift  of  the  Queen  of 
Sheba  to  King  Solomon,  the  dish  which  held  the  Pascal 
Lamb  of  the  Passover,  and  the  vessel  in  which  Joseph  of 
Arimathea  received  the  blood  from  the  pierced  side  of  the 
crucified  Saviour.  Whether  the  sacred  dish  ever  held  the 
head  of  John  the  Baptist,  as  has  been  stated,  also,  served 
Judas  at  the  Last  Supper,  or  was  given  by  King  Herod  to 
Augustus,  it  loses  little  of  interest  from  a  historical 
Ipoint,  if  only  a  specimen  of  glass  by  means  of 
which  ancient  races  counterfeited  gems,  especially  the 
11,  in  vases,  half  columns,  and  the  adornment  of 
the  statues  of  deities  in  temples. 

The  ambitious  Baldwin,  brother  of  Godfrey  de  Bouillon, 

n 


162  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

succeeded  the  latter  as  king  of  Jerusalem.  The  timely- 
arrival  of  a  Genoese  fleet  emboldened  him  to  punish  the 
city  of  Assur  for  rebellion.  He  then  laid  siege  to  Cesarea, 
a  town  built  by  King  Herod  in  honor  of  Caesar.  The 
investment  was  so  closely  pressed  that  in  fifteen  days  all 
was  ready  for  an  assault.  The  signal  was  given  of  a  peal 
of  trumpets,  when  the  soldiers  confessed  their  sins  and 
received  absolution.  The  patriarch,  clad  in  white  vest- 
ments, crucifix  in  hand,  led  the  troops  to  the  base  of  the 
walls.  Cesarea  fell,  and  the  garrison  was  put  to  the  sword. 
The  horrors  of  the  sacking  of  the  city,  the  rapine  and 
brutality  of  the  invading  host,  remain  a  blot  on  the  fame  of 
the  participants. 

The  Genoese  won  a  very  unenviable  reputation  on  the 
occasion  ;  for  while  the  soldiery  reeled  about  the  streets 
until  satiated  by  every  phase  of  destruction  wreaked  on 
the  helpless  inhabitants,  the  former  are  accused  of  evin- 
cing the  unscrupulousness  of  plunderers  and  the  calcula- 
tion of  merchants  in  taking  slaves,  pearls,  hoards  of  stuffs, 
precious  cups  and  vases  and  statues.  William  of  Tyre 
narrates  that  the  Genoese  seized  the  Sacro  Catino,  believing 
it  to  be  a  jewel,  and  attempted  to  sell  the  dish  for  a  large 
sum ;  but  failing  in  this  carried  it  home  to  their  own  city 
to  show  to  all  great  visitors  as  a  rare  treasure.  Probably 
the  Genoese  won  the  reprobation  of  Dante  for  the  siege  of 
Cesarea  as  well  as  any  other  crime  in  their  career  when  he 
exclaims , — 

"0  Genoese!  Men  strangers  to  all  good,  guilty  of  all 
misdeeds,  why  arc  you  not  scattered  through  the  world ! " 

The  Sacro  Catino  may  be  relegated  to  the  sacristy  of  San 
Lorenzo,  although  Giustiniani  stanchly  maintained  that  it 
was  a  precious  object  in  comparison  with  which  all  the 
heirlooms  of  princes  were  mere  rags  and  rubbish,  to  be 
kept  with  that  fragment  of  the  true  cross,  set  in  jewels, 
gift  of  an  illustrious    Genoese  family,  the  Zaccaria,  with 


A  CHURCH  LAMP.  163 

•  ssions  in  the  Levant,  now  extinct,  whose  memory  has 
qo  other  claim  00  posterity  than  this  relic  with  Greek 
Letters  sculptured  on  it  statin--  that  it  was  placed  in  the 
ancient  church  of  Ephesus  at  Natolia,  opposite  the  island 
of  Nicarea. 

The  lamp  of  the  Bhrine  once  more  holds  full  sway  in  the 
church.  The  words  of  the  crusader  recur  to  memory  at 
such  a  moment  :  — 

"The  Genoese  returned  to  the  port  of  Joppa  toward  the 
Holy  Week  of  the  New  Year.  The  people  all  landed,  drew 
their  vessels  to  shore,  and  hastened  to  Jerusalem.  It  was  on 
tin-  Saturday  of  the  Resurrection,  two  years  after  the  conquest; 
and  it  was  the  amient  custom,  when  the  enemy  granted  a  truce, 
that  townsfolk  and  strangers  Mocked,  annually,  on  this  day  to 
witness  a  prodigy  ;  namely,  that  the  lamp  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre 
would  kindle  unaided,  and  communicate  a  spark  to  the  sixteen 
other  lamps  outside.  The  holy  Basilica  was  thronged  with 
crusaders  of  every  nation  to  be  present  at  the  miracle.  None 
of  these  had  eaten  or  drunk.  At  three  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
the  Patriarch  Dagobert  made  a  sign  to  the  curious  ones  to 
commence  the  office  of  the  day-book  founded  by  the  pious 
Godfrey.  A  part  belonged  to  one  rite,  and  a  portion  to  the 
other ;  the  Latins  chanted  in  their  tongue  the  lessons  for  Holy 
Saturday,  and  t he  (Jreeks  repeated  after  each  other  in  harmo- 
nious tones  their  discourse.  They  recited  in  this  manner  a 
portion  of  the  psalms,  a  Greek  intoning,  according  to  the 
ancient  custom,  Kyrie  Eleison  (Lord,  have  mercy  upon  us), 
and  all  repeating  the  same  refrain.  The  description  of  this 
solemnity  for  all  those  who  had  not  previously  witnessed  simi- 
lar things  made  them  rise  hastily  from  the  ground  to  witness 
tin  miracle  with  their  own  eyes  ;  but  nothing  unusual  occurring, 
they  resumed,  somewhat  in  confusion,  their  former  attitude  of 
humility  on  their  knees.  Three  times  the  Kyrie  Eleison  was 
intoned,  in  accents  more  and  more  imploring,  and  then  suc- 
ceeded profound  silence.  The  hour  of  nonet,  which  is  our  mid- 
day, passed,  and  of  the  miracle  there  was  no  sign.     Then  the 


164  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

chaplain  terminated  the  service,  the  minor  clergy  chanted  the 
lessons  and  the  daily  ritual ;  three  other  priests  and  friars, 
accompanied  by  the  populace,  cried  Kyrie  Elelson,  and  all  in 
vain.  The  patriarch  bethought  him  that  the  light  of  Christ  — 
for  this  prodigious  kindliug  was  thus  named  —  might  already 
burn  in  the  Chapel  of  the  Sepulchre,  although  unfortunately 
invisible  outside.  He  therefore  took  the  keys,  inasmuch  as  the 
chapel,  a  little  house  within  the  church,  had  only  one  means  of 
exit.  He  opened  the  door,  entered,  peered  into  every  corner, 
and,  the  last  ray  of  hope  becoming  extinct,  issued  forth  again, 
closed  the  portal,  and  on  the  threshold  fell  on  his  face  and 
wept  in  the  presence  of  all  the  populace.  He  accused  himself 
for  the  transgressions  of  his  own  youth,  but  the  King  Baldwin 
was  obstinate  in  inculpating  himself,  as  well.  What  sighs, 
what  groans,  what  tears  !  He  made  overtures  of  peace,  many 
restitutions  and  benefits,  hoping  by  these  virtuous  measures  to 
appease  divine  wrath.  Night  came ;  the  command  was  given 
that  each  should  retire  to  the  house  where  he  lodged,  and  that 
the  holy  sanctuary  should  remain  cleared  of  all  impurities  for 
a  time  at  least.  On  the  following  day,  Easter,  the  patriarch 
convoked  the  crusaders  on  the  public  square,  with  serene  brow, 
and  said  that  the  lack  of  the  celestial  light,  if  one  thought 
about  the  matter,  need  not  be  a  source  of  grief,  but  rather  of 
joy,  because  if  the  miracle  occurred  to  convince  unbelief,  it  was 
just  the  prodigy  should  take  place  in  the  times  when  the  infidels 
contaminated  the  Holy  City  ;  but  it  was  unnecessary  in  the 
midst  of  Christians  who  had  always  a  light  more  steadfast  and 
resplendent,  —  faith.  Aware  of  the  public  disquietude,  and 
wishing  to  comfort  all,  he  suggested  that  they  should  go  in  pro- 
cession to  Mount  Sion,  where  the  promise  had  been  made  that 
any  devout  supplication  would  be  heard.  There  on  the  heights 
they  could  pray  to  the  Most  High  that  if  His  glory  would  be 
enhanced  thereby,  the  renewal  of  the  miracle  might  take  place 
once  more,  on  the  present  occasion,  in  order  that  the  weak  of 
faith  might  not  prove  a  scandal  to  the  good.  He  spoke  thus, 
and  the  King  Baldwin  and  the  Papal  Legate  followed  him  to 
the  mount,  drawing  behind  them  the  multitude  of  crusaders ; 


A  CHURCH  LAMP.  1G5 

but  the  Greeks.  Syrians,  and  Armenians  who  found  themselves 
in  Jerusalem  held  back,  and  returned  to  singing  psalms,  tear- 
the  heard,  as  when  in  great  afllictiou.  Jerusalem  is  situ- 
ated in  a  valley  between  Mount  Sion  and  Moriah.  To  the  north 
is  a  hill  called  .Mount  Calvary,  or  Golgotha,  and  below  is  the 
Church  of  the  Resurrection,  containing  in  a  quadrate  chapel 
the  Sepulchre.  On  the  other  side  of  the  slope  of  Mount 
Moriah  is  a  plain  where  the  Hebrews  twice  built  their  temple, 
and  the  Mahometans  erected  their  mosque,  converted  by  the 
victorious  crusaders  into  a  church,  under  the  title  of  Sanctuary 
of  Our  Lord.  The  procession  had  finished  praying,  and  de- 
scended the  mount  with  slow  steps,  when  the  patriarch,  who 
preceded  the  rest,  saw  a  spark  of  flame  scintillate  in  a  little 
window  of  the  chapel.  The  prelate  hastened  across  the  val- 
ley, climbed  the  high  mountain,  opened  the  sanctuary,  recog- 
nized the  prodigy,  and,  lighting  the  blessed  candle,  showed  it 
to  the  multitude.  The  crusaders  arrived.  Candles  were  illu- 
minated, one  after  the  other,  until  the  vast  basilica  glowed 
with  splendor;  the  hymn  of  thanksgiving  was  intoned,  and  the 
Mass  of  the  Resurrection  celebrated  on  the  spot,  and  almost 
at  the  same  hour  when  the  innocent  victim  actually  arose. 
Bach  then  retired  to  his  own  house,  constrained  by  long  fast- 
ing, and  the  Pascal  Lamb  was  eaten,  after  which  all  returned 
to  the  Sepulchre,  where  the  first  of  the  exterior  lamps  had 
already  taken  fire,  while  the  others  began  to  ignite  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  throng,  who,  provided  with  new  tapers,  hastened  to 
approach  the  lamp  not  yet  extinguished.  Thus  the  Lord  com- 
forted his  people,  and  ordained  that  the  glory  of  so  many 
miracles  should  descend  from  generation  to  generation." 

The  words  of  the  Genoese  crusader  seem  to  echo 
through  the  Church  of  San  Lorenzo  on  Easter  Day.  The 
bells  of  the  city  ring  out  softly,  and  it  is  evening. 

'•  I  mil  .jives  each  man  one  life,  like  a  lamp,  then  gives 
That  lamp  due  measure  of  oil." 


THE    STEM. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

A   FRUIT   FROM   THE   COLONIES. 

IN  that  charming  contribution  to  modern  French  litera- 
ture, Pierre  Loti's  "  Roman  d'un  Enfant,"  the  tiny  son 
of  the  Huguenot  family  on  the  coast  of  Brittany,  who  had 
been  taught  to  jump  by  the  flames  of  the  wood  fire  in  win- 
ter, and  undergone  the  changes  from  sleeping  chrysalis 
to  butterfly  in  the  garden  of  a  summer  day,  waving  his 
little  white  pinafore  for  wings,  eats  a  marvellous  fruit 
brought  from  afar  by  the  sailor  uncle,  and  forthwith  be- 
gins to  dream  of  those  distant  lands  beyond  his  ken  across 
the  wide  expanse  of  sea,  longing  to  visit  them. 

In  a  narrow  street  at  an  angle  of  the  Piazza  Nuova  of 
Genoa,  near  the  Church  of  Sant'  Ambrogio,  there  is  a  tiny 
fruit-shop.  The  slanting  sunbeams  find  their  way  at  cer- 
tain hours  athwart  masonry  to  gleam  on  piles  of  golden 
oranges  and  lemons,  baskets  of  purple  and  green  figs, 
apples,  plums,  cherries,  fresh  almonds  in  furry,  immature 
husks  to  be  devoured  whole,  or  overflowing  from  plethoric 
bags  flanking  the  doorway,  dried,  and  bunches  of  grapes 
hanging  in  pendant  clusters  overhead,  each  in  their  season 
of  abundance.  Such  is  the  average  stock  of  the  fruiterer 
of  Italian  towns ;  but  Genoa  is  a  rich  seaport,  and  the  little 
shop  on  the  dark  alley  may  contain  rare  and  curious  deli- 
cacies if  you  search  for  them. 

"  Enter,"  is  the  bland  invitation  of  Adelina  to  a  customer. 


Cathedral  of  San  Lorenzo. 


jgjgq 


isii 


*  *  — iTa        d  ***  I 

it 


A  FRUIT  FROM  THE  COLONIES.  167 

The  smiling  creature  is  rosy  and  fresh  beneath  her  gray 
hair,  and  so  comfortably  stout  in  her  purple  and  yellow 
gown  protected  by  an  ample  blue  apron  with  capacious 
pockets  containing  all  sorts  of  odds  and  ends,  from  copper 
coins,  bits  of  string,  a  sheet  of  paper,  to  a  handful  of  fil- 
berts, that  she  resembles  a  pincushion.  Adelina  keeps  the 
shop, —  indeed  inherited  the  business  from  several  genera- 
tions of  fruit-selling  ancestors  in  the  narrow  by-way,  while 
her  husband  Antonio,  a  mild  and  somewhat  deprecating 
person,  like  the  father  spider  in  the  domestic  web,  haunts 
the  shipping  and  the  market  for  the  most  part.  All  day 
the  plump  fruiterer  stands  in  the  entrance  of  her  shop, 
with  her  hands  in  the  pockets  of  her  apron,  amiable,  even 
benevolent  to  any  stray  mendicant,  yet  shrewd,  capable  of 
holding  her  own  in  all  transactions,  and  a  thorough  cos- 
mopolitan, astonished  at  no  folly  or  eccentricity  which 
street  gossip  may  bring  her.  The  world  changes,  and  she 
must  change  with  it.  Her  son  is  a  dashing  young  officer 
in  the  Infantry,  his  uniform  and  sword  the  pride  of  her 
maternal  heart ;  her  daughter  has  been  educated  at  a  con- 
vent school,  and  is  a  proficient  performer  on  the  piano- 
forte and  the  harp.  Alas!  the  wheel  turns  so  swiftly. 
If  these  young  people  gain  much,  do  they  not  lose  a  little 
of  the  old  spirit  of  contentment  in  a  humbler  sphere  ? 

The  stranger  enters  the  shop  of  a  morning.  "  If  you 
had  anything  novel  to  tempt  the  appetite,  for  example, 
Adelina ! "  is  a  favorite  form  of  badinage,  in  assumed 
scepticism  of  such  an  eventuality  between  customer  and 
shopkeeper. 

"  Possibly  !  "  laughs  Adelina,  glancing  over  her  shoulder 
into  the  recesses  of  her  kingdom,  without  quitting  her  post 
in  the  doorway.  "  The  signora  must  favor  me  by  looking 
about  at  the  roba  quite  at  her  leisure." 

Dates,  such  as  Lady  Duff  Gordon  ate  with  Nile  water  as 
an    accompanying,  symbolical   beverage,  are    piled    on  the 


168  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

shelves,  with  moist  Malaga  raisins,  small,  dark-skinned 
Egyptian  bananas,  black  currants  of  Smyrna,  a  pineapple, 
the  tiny  Japanese  orange  of  bitter  flavor,  pistachio  nuts, 
and  even  that  much  esteemed  luxury,  the  American  peanut. 
The  .eye  of  the  habitue  is  attracted  by  a  yellowish  ball 
suspended  from  a  nail  in  a  network  of  cord  to  preserve  the 
rind  from  bruises. 

"  What  is  this  ? "  curiosity  promptly  demands,  nibbling 
at  the  bait  doubtless  prepared  in  advance. 

Adelina  manifestly  enjoys  the  surprise,  approaches,  lifts 
the  ball  from  the  net  of  cord,  wipes  it  on  her  apron,  and 
presents  it  for  inspection,  unconsciously  repeating  the 
words  of  Pierre  Loti :  "A  fruit  from  the  colonies.  Eh! 
It  came  from  Sumatra,  and  is  called  a  giuruc.  What  do 
I  know  of  the  outlandish  tongues  of  those  black  people  ? 
My  husband  got  it  of  Jacopo  this  very  morning.  Jacopo 
is  one  of  our  sailors,  and  an  honest  boy.  I  have  known 
him  ever  since  he  was  a  baby.  He  has,  also,  a  monkey 
and  a  parrot  for  sale  this  voyage.  Will  the  lady  have  the 
fruit?" 

Of  course  the  signora  carries  the  treasure  home, — 
chiefly  because  Pierre  Loti  has  been  so  aptly  quoted, —  up 
many  flights  of  stairs  to  an  apartment,  where  the  giuruc 
is  placed  on  a  sideboard  and  forgotten  until  a  later  hour 
of  the  day,  when,  weary  and  thirsty  from  an  excursion  in 
the  environs  of  the  town,  it  is  taken  out  to  the  narrow 
balcony  overlooking  Genoa  to  be  consumed  at  leisure. 

Gibbon  states  that  the  apple  was  a  native  of  Italy,  and 
when  the  Romans  first  partook  of  apricots,  peaches,  cit- 
rons, and  pomegranates  they  named  them  all  apples.  If 
the  ancient  Roman  could  formulate  no  expression  of  praise 
superior  to  dapple"  for  these  novel  articles  of  food,  the 
American  schoolboy,  wont  to  revel  amidst  the  abundance 
of  sweet,  spicy,  and  acid  fruit  of  the  orchards  of  his  native 
land,  must  sympathize  with  the  stern  warrior  over  whose 


A   FRUIT   FROM   THE   COLONIES.  169 

mighty  deeds  of  valor  he  is  obliged  to  cudgel  his  juvenile 
brains,  often  in  weariness  of  spirit. 
A  fruit  from  the  colonies  ! 

:t.  d  on  the  balcony, with  Genoa  outspread  below  down 
to  the  water,  you  separate  the  rind,  and  discover  that  the 
purchase  of  the  morning  is  a  gigantic  orange,  probably  a 
species  of  shattuck.  The  pulp,  richly  tinted,  like  an  opal, 
has  a  flavor  of  honey  and  sugar  with  a  lingering  refresh- 
ment on  the  palate,  at  once  piquant  and  bitter,  as  counter- 
acting cloying  sweetness  of  insipidity,  and  is  protected  by 
a  tough,  thick  Layer  of  skin,  having  the  smooth  texture  of 
a  cream-colored  kid  glove.  Nature  in  the  burning  tropics 
thus  ripens  her  fruits  for  man  where  water  is  brackish 
and  insufficient.  One  is  reminded  of  the  delicious  milk 
secreted  in  the  shell  of  the  cocoanut,  the  juicy  flesh  of  the 
prickly  pear,  the  sap  of  forest  trees,  and  the  graceful  cups 
of  leaves  that  have  caught  the  falling  raindrops  to  present 
to  the  parched  lips  of  the  wayfarer,  —  all  in  eating  the 
orange  from  the  Malay  Archipelago  on  the  Genoese  bal- 
cony. This  delicate  globe  of  refreshment  grew  in  the  realm 
of  the  teak-wood,  cassia,  pepper,  gold,  and  diamonds.  How 
little  we  heed  from  whence  came  the  articles  of  luxury 
which  serve  as  the  veriest  small  coin  of  commerce  ?  Does 
Genoa,  to-day,  ever  turn,  in  retrospection,  to  the  memo- 
rable enterprises  of  her  ancestors  in  founding  colonies  ? 

THE   ARAB   IN   THE   GATE. 

The  cook  of  the  Italian  engineer  returned  from  Egypt 
sallies  forth  to  make  his  daily  purchases  in  the  busy 
thoroughfares  of  the  town. 

"  How  ugly  he  is,  the  Moro"  is  the  public  verdict  of  the 
street,  even  in  a  seaport  accustomed  to  strangers  from  all 
quarters  of  the  globe. 

He  is  not  ugly.     He  is  a  tall  and  erect  Arab,  with  regu- 


170  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

lar  features,  and  a  skin  of  a  dark  bronze  tint.  He  wears 
a  fez,  a  long  garment  of  dull  maroon  cloth  for  the  cold 
climate  of  Europe,  and  curiously  shaped  shoes  of  yellow 
leather.  Indoors  he  expands  into  a  robe  of  striped 
cotton,  red  and  white  like  the  petals  of  a  tulip,  a  crimson 
sash,  and  a  white  turban,  when  he  resembles  one  of  those 
painted  Venetian  statues  of  the  Moorish  slaves,  holding 
vases  or  candelabra  on  their  heads.  Devotedly  attached 
to  indulgent  employers  whom  he  served  for  many  years  in 
divers  posts  of  the  Red  Sea,  the  poor  alien  is  reputed  to  be 
very  unhappy  in  the  bleak  winds  of  Genoa,  and  to  perform 
his  devotions  morning  and  evening  as  a  stanch  Moslem. 

"  He  is  a  very  good  Christian  in  his  religion,"  an  Italian 
servant  once  stated  with  reference  to  a  Hebrew,  punctilious 
in  attendance  at  the  festivals  of  the  Synagogue. 

If  the  soul  of  the  Arab  cook  longs  for  the  palm-tree  and 
the  desert,  he  none  the  less  does  his  duty  by  his  master  in 
driving  thrifty  bargains  over  poultry,  lobsters,  fish,  onions, 
or  peppers  with  the  townfolk,  smiling,  the  while,  with  a 
dignified  affability,  and  revealing  twin  rows  of  white  teeth. 

The  abode  of  the  retired  engineer  is  a  bit  of  the  East, 
where  his  wife,  a  handsome  Italian,  born  at  Aden,  dwells 
in  indolent  contentment,  extended  in  her  fauteuil  near  the 
open  window,  smoking  cigarettes,  or  eating  strange  sweet- 
meats, and  petting  her  inseparable  companion,  a  tiny  terrier 
with  a  silver  collar  and  bell.  The  atmosphere  of  the 
chambers  is  redolent  of  perfumes,  musk,  amber,  and  attar 
of  rose,  with  a  subtle  blending  of  the  scent  of  cabinets, 
caskets,  and  boxes  of  sandal-wood,  teak,  cedar,  or  aloes, 
fragrant  tobacco  for  Turkish  pipes,  and  even  an  additional 
odor  of  aromatic  gums,  as  if  some  precious  remnant  of 
that  balm  once  gathered  about  ancient  Heliopolis,  valued 
by  the  Christians  because  of  the  Legend  of  the  Well,  where 
the  Madonna  washed  her  linen  in  the  Flight  into  Egypt, 
having  served  to  water  the  shrub,  and  the  oil,  obtained  in 


A  FRUIT  FROM  THE   COLONIES.  171 

pious  pilgrimage,  being  used  in  the  rites  of  baptism.  The 
is  delighted  with  the  rich  tones  of  curtains,  rugs, 
cushions,  and  embroidered  draperies,  the  fabrics  of  Persia, 
India,  and  China. 

Ali  the  cook,  returned  from  market,  prepares  to  sacrifice 
on  the  domestic  hearth  with  curries,  pilaus,  some  patri- 
archal forms  of  dressing  mutton,  little  balls  kneaded  of 
Besame,  fowls  served  with  sweet-smelling  drugs  and  cori- 
ander-seeds, and  mysteriously  compounded  dishes  of  barley 
paste,  honey,  milk,  and  almonds.  He  takes  from  the  folds 
of  his  girdle  and  the  interior  lining  of  his  robe  various 
tiny  packages  of  the  spices  bought  in  the  shops.  Does  not 
Genoa  vend  an  ounce  or  two  of  cinnamon,  cloves,  and  gin- 
ger without  a  thought  of  the  fables  associated  with  these 
articles  of  commerce  by  her  ancestors,  the  merchants  who 
strove  to  compete  with  Pisa,  Venice,  and  Amalfi,  to  obtain 
them  ?  Thus  cassia  was  believed  to  grow  in  a  shallow 
lake  which  was  guarded  by  winged  animals  on  the  banks, 
resembling  bats,  and  that  screeched  fearfully  at  the  ap- 
proach of  all  intruders.  To  obtain  the  commodity  the 
Arabs  were  obliged  to  protect  the  head  and  body  with 
hides  and  skins.  Frankincense  was  a  product  of  certain 
trees  surrounded  by  winged  serpents,  and  only  to  be  col- 
ic.led  by  burning  storax,  first  imported  by  the  Phoenicians. 
Cinnamon  flourished  in  the  land  where  Bacchus  was  nursed. 
Lame  birds  brought  rolls  of  it  to  their  nests,  which  were 
made  of  clay,  and  attached  to  the  rocks  of  high  mountains. 
The  natives  cut  heavy  portions  of  ox,  and  placed  the  bones 
so  that  the  greedy  parents  would  seize  the  food  to  carry 
up  to  the  nests,  which  would  then  break  with  the  additional 
weight,  and  the  rolls  of  cinnamon  be  scattered  on  the 
ground. 

The  Arab  in  the  Gate !  Many  words  were  borrowed 
from  the  Arabs,  not  only  by  Genoa  but  all  Italy,  and  espe- 
cially  in  terms  of  trade.     Arzand  in  Arabic  became  modi- 


172  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

fied  into  arzenale  (arsenal),  the  locality  where  ships  were 
built,  previously  denominated  in  Latin  navali ;  while  dar- 
cenaa  was  adopted  as  darsena  (dockyard),  the  place  near 
ports  where  vessels  were  repaired,  tarred,  or  laid  up.  Am- 
iras  became  amiragli  (admirals),  the  commanders  of 
fleets,  formerly  called  naval  captains,  or  guides  ;  a  ship 
was  divided  into  twenty-four  kirat,  by  the  Arabs,  who 
weighed  gold  and  diamonds  in  kerats,  or  four  grains ;  Italy 
divided  a  vessel  into  chirati,  and  weighed  gold,  diamonds, 
and  gems  in  carati  (carats)  ;  the  chamber  where  tribute 
on  merchandise  was  paid  was  called  dohane  in  the  East, 
and  dogane  (custom-house)  in  Europe.  The  Arabs  fabri- 
cated sumptuous  draperies  of  gold  and  silver  thread  in 
their  famous  Baldach,  from  which  resulted  the  baldacchino 
of  Christian  churches.  In  the  kingdom  of  Fez  vast 
meadows  of  grass  fed  fat  cattle,  and  the  hides  made  the 
leather  long  known  as  "  morocco,"  as  the  skins  cured  by  the 
Moors  of  Cordova  had  the  name  of"  cordovans,"  and  certain 
silks  woven  in  Italy  in  imitation  of  the  stuffs  of  Damascus 
became  "  damask."  When  the  Arab  merchants  united  in 
large  numbers  to  traverse  the  desert,  with  their  goods  and 
camels,  the  company  was  termed  karavani,  readily  adopted 
to  trains  of  mules  as  "  caravans."  Still  more  curious  are  the 
proverbs  grafted  on  modern  tongues.  "  With  patience  the 
mulberry  leaf  becomes  satin,"  is  familiar.  "  The  world  is 
a  ship,  and  every  one  on  board  is  in  danger  of  wreck,"  is 
another.  A  third  is  :  "  The  prudent  man  is  like  pure  gold, 
only  he  should  be  aware  of  his  own  value." 

Ali  the  cook  sings  a  ditty  taken  from  one  of  the  seven 
casside  suspended  in  the  temple  at  Mecca,  in  which  he  af- 
firms that  his  love  has  a  neck  like  the  gazelle  when  she 
lifts  her  head  to  gaze  in  the  distance,  and  always  orna- 
mented with  elegant  necklaces  ;  the  tresses  floating  on  her 
shoulders  are  ebony  black,  and  undulate  as  the  branches  of 
the  palm-tree  wave  ;  her  form  is  supple  as  a  bow,  while  her 


A  FRUIT  FROM  THE   COLONIES.  173 

face  would  illuminate  the  shadows  of  night,  and  her  gar- 
ments recall  the  azure  of  the  sky. 

"  In  the  name  of  the  Prophet !  I  have  found  a  good 
sheep  in  the  market  this  day,  and  lentils,"  he  exclaims  in 
French,  and  his  voice  echoes  through  the  open  windows  of 
the  inner  court  of  the  house. 

"  Bravo ! "  retorts  the  engineer,  a  stout  gentleman, 
bronzed  by  the  sun  to  the  hue  of  an  Oriental,  who  dons 
indoors  a  fez,  babooshes,  and  a  jacket  with  flowing  sleeves, 
made  of  pink  and  green  silk. 

"  Allah  is  gracious !  There  is  a  ripe  and  sweet  melon 
for  the  mistress,"  adds  the  Arab  in  the  Gate. 

AN    HEIRLOOM. 

In  all  lands  some  old  lady  dies,  long  deemed  eccentric  by 
her  neighbors,  whose  last  testament,  or  habits  of  the 
magpie  of  secreting  valuable  objects  afford  a  topic  of  gossip 
until  swept  away  into  oblivion  by  the  next  wave  of  incident. 

Such  a  person  was  the  countess,  who  dwelt  in  the 
palace  of  the  fifteenth  century  near  the  Church  of  San 
Matteo  at  Genoa.  The  event  was  a  nine  days'  wonder  to 
the  town,  and  the  envious  or  impecunious  might  gaze  their 
fill  at  the  narrow  casements  of  the  old  mansion,  marvelling; 
at  the  riches  it  contained.  Several  nephews  inherited  the 
accumulated  wealth  of  a  noble  family ;  the  countess  did  not 
forget  the  church,  being  very  devote,  nor  to  give  alms  to 
the  poor  of  the  various  parishes  in  which  she  held  property, 
while  she  bestowed  twenty  thousand  francs  on  the  Bene- 
dictine nuns,  who  should  prepare  her  mortal  remains  for 
the  grave.  Of  gold,  bonds,  and  other  securities  there  were 
none.  A  diamond,  set  in  dull  silver,  served  as  a  clew  to 
the  mystery.  The  brilliant  was  an  heirloom  in  her  family. 
She  assured  her  kinsmen  that  the  stone  rendered  the 
owner  invincible,  — as  the  agate  of  India  and  Candia  made 
a  man  prudent,  the  amethyst  averted  drunkenness,  the  cor- 


174  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

nelian  and  topaz  appeased  anger,  while  the  pearl  imparted 
gayety,  and  coral  preserved  from  lightning.  Here  was  a 
development  of  ancient  superstitions  derived  from  an- 
tiquity, the  Greeks,  and  sung  by  Pierre  de  Boniface,  the 
troubadour  of  the  fourteenth  century. 

The  heirs  pronounced  the  old  lady  mad,  and  began  to 
search  the  palace,  with  the  aid  of  executors  and  servants. 
They  found  jewels  hidden  in  cabinets,  recesses  of  the  wall, 
boxes,  and  even  thrust  into  embroidered  bags  and  satin 
cushions,  tied  in  pocket-handkerchiefs.  For  many  years 
she  had  converted  money  into  the  purchase  of  precious 
stones,  with  the  utmost  secrecy.  The  spendthrift  youth  of 
another  generation  found  in  this  hoarding  instinct  merely 
the  feminine  caprice  of  a  woman  once  beautiful,  and  fond 
of  sumptuous  apparel.  There  was  another  solution  of  the 
eccentricity,  revealed  by  a  leather  book  in  her  writing-desk, 
a  sort  of  diary  made  the  intimate  companion  of  her  daily 
thoughts.  She  was  a  Genoese,  and  her  interest  reverted 
to  the  past.  She  had  collected  volumes  and  documents 
relating  to  the  part  filled  by  her  ancestors,  not  only  in  the 
Crusades,  but  among  the  Christian  merchants  in  the  East, 
and  the  founders  of  the  colonies  of  Pera,  Galata,  or  Tana 
on  the  Black  Sea.  She  believed  she  might  have  repur- 
chased some  of  the  identical  jewels  brought  by  her  fore- 
fathers in  her  treasure  of  turquoises  from  Persia,  pearls 
from  the  Island  of  Bahrein  and  Ceylon,  diamonds  from 
Deccan,  emeralds  from  different  portions  of  Asia,  as  well 
as  the  borders  of  the  Red  Sea,  rock  crystal  of  Gasna, 
cat's-eyes  of  Malabar,  and  lapislazuli  of  Tartary.  Possibly 
the  old  lady  watched  the  play  of  rainbow  lights  in  these 
translucent  gems  in  her  solitude,  and  dreamed  of  the 
fables  told  by  Eastern  jewellers  to  enhance  the  value  of 
their  wares,  the  marine  monsters  that  hindered  the  pearl 
fisheries,  or  the  dragon  guarding  the  valley  of  diamonds. 
A  link  between  past  and  present  in  her  reveries  may  have 


A  FRUIT  FROM  THE  COLONIES.  175 

been  the  longing  of  those  early  Genoese  to  plant  their 
standard  where  Paros  yielded  marbles,  Cythera  shell-fish, 
Melos  sulphur  and  alum,  Siphnus  gold,  silver,  and  lead, 
Nisyrus  millstones,  and  the  entire  ^Egean  Islands  their 
honey.  Did  not  the  very  sparkle  of  sapphires  and  rubies 
suggest  to  her  mind  the  possessions  of  that  sultan  of  Egypt, 
Mostanser-Billah,  sacrificed  to  his  troops,  —  the  statues  and 
vases  of  amber ;  the  tapestries,  wrought  with  portraits  of 
the  Kings  of  Egypt ;  the  steel  mirrors  set  in  silver  and  gold, 
with  coral  handles ;  the  piles  of  pearls ;  the  pieces  of  cam- 
phor of  the  size  of  a  melon  ;  the  stuffs  of  Damascus,  Tennis 
(where  the  veil  of  the  sanctuary  of  the  Kaaba  at  Mecca  was 
woven),  and  Bahnesa  ;  a  library  rich  in  manuscripts,  and 
ten  thousand  jugs  filled  with  naphtha  ? 

To  the  Phoenicians  trading  with  all  known  nations,  the 
Carthaginians  had  succeeded  as  furnishing  the  markets  of 
Europe  and  Africa ;  Greece  built  towns  even  on  the  borders 
of  the  Black  Sea,  and  Rome  crushed  both  of  the  latter 
powers,  in  turn.  Alexandria  under  the  Roman  Emperors 
traded  with  Thebes,  Nubia,  Ethiopia,  and  the  Red  Sea. 
Roman  money  circulated  in  India.  By  the  Nile  and  the 
Red  Sea,  the  wines  of  Italy  were  carried,  metals  from  Asia 
Minor,  arms,  tissues,  and  vestments,  receiving  in  return 
pearls,  gems,  myrrh,  nard,  silk,  pepper,  and  slaves.  In 
the  fourth  century  Persia  and  China  held  important  rela- 
tions ;  Byzantium  was  the  key  to  the  Black  Sea.  The  Arabs 
who  sought  Mecca,  and  the  Christians  hastening  to  Jeru- 
salem, were  often  merchants  in  their  day. 

To  the  Hindu  the  life  of  a  mariner  was  comparable  to 
a  drop  of  dew  on  a  lotos  leaf  in  fragility. 

A  web  of  industry  and  emulation  was  woven  between 
Europe  and  the  Orient,  and  the  shuttles  perpetually  shot 
and  returning  through  the  complicated  meshes  were  Venice, 
Genoa,  Amain,  Pisa,  the  French,  the  bold  Catalonians,  and 
the  Aragonese.     Intrigue,  competition,  jealousy,  open  quar- 


176  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

rels,  and  defeat  characterized  the  contests  for  supremacy, 
in  which  few  of  the  Christian  virtues  were  practised. 

That  rich  flower  of  opulence,  Amain,  had  bloomed  sud- 
denly down  on  the  southern  coast,  boasting  of  being  the 
first  Italian  republic  to  engage  in  trade  with  the  Levant ; 
having  streets,  wharves,  and  warehouses  at  Acre,  Cairo, 
Constantinople,  and  even  in  Laodicea,  while  her  flag 
floated  in  all  Syrian  ports,  beside  the  banners  of  Genoa, 
Pisa,  and  Venice,  where  the  Arab  and  Persian  merchants 
from  the  interior  brought  nutmeg,  dyes,  gems,  indigo, 
perfumes,  ivory,  and  gums  to  barter.  Lovely  Amain,  now 
fallen  asleep  in  extreme  decrepitude  of  old  age  above  her 
blue  gulf,  could  play  the  host  to  passing  prince  or  Pope 
with  luxurious  banquets,  revelry,  and  draperies  of  cloth-of- 
gold.  Her  chief  claim  on  posterity  consists  in  the  inven- 
tion of  the  marine  compass  by  her  citizen  Flavius  Gioja 
in  1290,  a  discovery  also  claimed  a  century  later  by  An- 
tonio Beccadelli,  who  lived  at  the  court  of  Alfonso  V.,  King 
of  Naples  and  Aragon.  Amain  had  on  her  scutcheon  the 
marine  compass,  and  the  Lily.  This  flower  of  the  arms  of 
France  was  much  used  in  Italy.  In  1252  Florence  struck 
the  gold  florin,  ornamented  with  the  giglio.  It  seems  prob- 
able that  the  Italians  first  utilized  the  magnetic  needle. 

Venice  attained  the  greater  power  by  means  of  her  re- 
sources, skill,  and  address  in  forming  treaties  to  her  own 
advantage  with  emperors  and  Saracen  rulers ;  but  there 
was  a  robust  fibre  of  energy,  courage,  and  audacity  in  the 
keenness  of  Genoese  competition  that  overcame  obstacles, 
and  made  the  more  effeminate  Greeks  marvel  at  fragile 
craft  launching  into  the  Caspian  and  Black  Seas  during 
winter  storms.  Occasionally  a  Genoese,  or  Catalonian 
corsairs,  shot  across  the  web,  seizing  a  richly  freighted 
Venetian  argosy,  or  making  a  descent  on  a  fertile  island 
to  plunder  and  destroy  a  rival.  Deceit  and  violence 
marked  the  intercourse  with  the  East.     The  fair  side  of 


A  FRUIT  FROM  THE  COLONIES.  177 

the  picture  is  the  admirable  system  of  appointing  consuls, 
regulating  taxes  and  tariffs  by  law,  and  adhering  to  the 
book  of  the  Consulate  of  the  Sea,  with  its  articles.  Vene- 
tian diplomacy  had  gained  full  sway  at  Constantinople 
under  Latin  rule;  Genoa  schemed  and  ultimately  suc- 
ei't  ilod  in  restoring  the  Greek  princes,  by  which  means 
the  commerce  of  the  Black  Sea  was  accorded  the  latter. 
In  12t>l  the  treaty  of  Galata  was  concluded  with  the 
Emperor  Michael  PaJeologus,  granting  the  Genoese  exemp- 
tion from  certain  taxes  of  the  palace  and  shops,  as  well 
as  rights  in  Smyrna,  Salonica,  Scio,  and  Mytelene,  the 
islands  of  Negropont  and  Candia,  driving  out  the  Vene- 
tians. Genoa  ratified  another  treaty  of  July,  1260,  in 
which  she  complacently  declared  herself  to  be  on  amicable 
terms  with  the  kings  of  France,  Castille,  Aragon,  and 
Engl  ami,  as  well  as  of  Cyprus  and  Armenia,  princes, 
Christian  barons,  and  religious  orders  of  the  Holy  Land, 
and  allied  with  the  sultans  of  Egypt,  Damascus,  Aleppo, 
Turkey,  and  king  of  Tana. 

In  the  colonics  the  foreign  merchants  had  their  fondachi 
(the  warehouses  with  the  name  adopted  from  the  Arab 
alfondija,  fondaco,  fondachi),  church,  municipal  palace, 
public  bath,  and  furnace  for  baking  their  bread  all  under 
the  jurisdiction  of  their  own  laws  and  consuls,  and  en- 
closed in  a  wall.  The  ruler  of  the  city  ordered  the  gates 
closed  on  those  foreigners  at  night.  Did  the  old  lady  pon- 
der on  the  towns  of  Caffa  and  Tana  in  purchasing  lapis- 
lazuli  with  which  her  cabinets,  tables,  and  ebony  boxes 
were  lavishly  inlaid,  the  rise  of  Tamerlane,  and  the  mer- 
chandise brought  from  Tartary  and  Armenia,  the  ermine, 
sable,  and  marten,  wools,  and  metals?  Thus  the  shuttle 
flew  across  the  web  for  centuries,  and  a  tide  of  wealth 
flowed  into  the  coffers  of  Genoa,  Venice,  or  Pisa. 

Will  the  inherited  heirloom  impart  invincibility  to  the 
youth  of  the  present  generation  ? 

12 


178  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

A  BRANCH  OP  CORAL. 

The  pedler,  a  small  and  yellow  man  of  persistent  ways, 
opens  his  box,  and  offers  his  stock  of  coral  for  inspection. 
You  shake  your  head  sternly,  and  hasten  on  into  the  Church 
of  the  Annunziata,  while  a  foolish  young  father,  with  his 
hat  on  the  back  of  his  head,  and  an  expansive  smile  which 
seems  to  invite  all  the  world  to  admire  his  first  baby,  —  a 
mite  of  humanity  in  the  perambulator  he  is  wheeling  along, 
—  pauses,  and  consults  his  wife,  already  a  sedate  matron 
with  the  sweet  placidity  of  a  Madonna.  The  baby  will 
need  a  coral  necklace  made  of  those  irregularly  shaped 
bits  strung  together  and  deemed  suitable  for  juvenile  wear. 
How  can  such  a  baby  be  expected  to  begin  life  without 
coral  ? 

The  interior  of  the  Church  of  the  Annunziata  is  the 
richest  in  Genoa  in  marble  columns,  painting,  and  gilding, 
although  the  facade  has  been  left  unfinished.  The  sacred 
edifice  was  rebuilt  ill  1537,  and  decorated  at  the  expense 
of  the  Lomellini  family.  Pausing  beneath  the  golden 
dome  of  this  temple,  the  history  of  the  builders  assumes 
a  characteristic  feature  of  the  Sea  City.  The  Genoese 
Republic  granted  them  the  right  of  the  coral  fisheries  of 
the  island  of  Tabarca  in  the  gulf  of  Tunis  for  two  hun- 
dred years.  The  origin  of  the  race  is  traced  to  a  count 
palatine,  one  of  the  electors  of  the  empire,  whose  two 
brothers,  Gandolfo  and  Otto  by  name,  sought  Italy,  where 
they  became  great  lords.  Their  descendants  dwelt  at 
Pavia,  and  held  a  property  named  Lomellina.  Wars 
dispersed  the  gentlemen  Lomellini,  but  they  held  every- 
where their  titles  as  counts  of  Mede,  Langesco,  Gamba- 
rana,  Rovescala,  and  Valcgio.  Many  of  the  branches 
remained  in  poverty  and  obscurity  after  reverses  of  fortune, 
while  the  Lomellini  of  Genoa  had  a  good  reputation.  Now 
beaten  down  in  the  struggle  of  party  factions,  and  again 


Interior  of  the  Church  of  the  Annunqiata. 


A   FRUIT  FROM  T1IE   COLONIES.  179 

acting  the  wise  part  of  peacemakers  between  rivals,  the 
name  is  interwoven  through  the  pattern  of  Genoese  his- 
tory. In  1197  a  Lomellini  was  one  of  the  councillors 
under  the  Podesta  Drudo  Marcellino,  while  in  1402 
Battista  Lomellini  was  a  councillor  with  Cardinal  Luigi 
Fieschi  in  the  insurrection  of  the  Dorias  and  the  Mari ; 
and  in  1409  Lionel  Lomellini,  implicated  in  the  intrigues 
of  the  Guelphs  and  Ghibellines,  after  the  four  years'  war 
was  sent  with  Etienne  Spinola  as  ambassador  of  the 
Republic  to  England.  In  1535  the  Emperor  Charles  V. 
made  an  expedition  against  Tunis,  and  claimed  the  right  of 
Spain  to  the  coral  fisheries  forever.  At  the  same  date 
Giovanni  Doria,  nephew  of  Andrea  Doria,  captured  on  the 
coast  of  Corsica  the  pirate  Dragut.  The  prize  fell  to  the 
share  of  the  Lomellini  of  Genoa,  who  demanded  the  island 
of  Tabarca  as  his  ransom.  Spain  consented  to  fortify 
and  defend  the  island  with  a  garrison,  and  Genoa  to  pay 
five  per  cent  on  the  commerce.  In  time  Spain  failed  to 
send  troops  ;  the  Genoese  flag  was  substituted,  and  the 
Lomellini  had  the  charge  of  all  accounts.  The  colonists 
throve  in  spite  of  the  depredations  of  Levantine  corsairs, 
who  swept  away  the  fishermen  from  time  to  time,  and 
raided  to  make  slaves  for  their  masters.  At  length  this 
persecution  induced  the  King  Charles  Emanuel  III.  of 
Sardinia  to  offer  the  Christians  the  uninhabited  island  of 
San  Pietro  on  the  coast  of  Sardinia.  Thirty  married 
couples  accepted  the  refuge,  where  their  descendants,  num- 
bering some  four  hundred  souls,  dwell  to  this  day.  They 
are  known  as  the  Tabarcini,  still  pursue  the  trade  of  coral- 
fishing,  and  aid  in  loading  the  vessels  that  seek  their 
harbor  of  Carloforte  for  minerals.  Another  island  of 
Tabarca  is  situated  on  the  Spanish  coast  near  the  gulf  of 
Alicante,  where  the  king  of  Spain  planted  a  second  colony 
of  these  hapless  refugees,  ransomed  as  captives  of  the  Bey 
of  Tunis. 


180  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

Beneath  the  ornate  dome  of  the  Church  of  the  Annunziata 
at  Genoa  the  picture  forms  before  the  mental  vision  of  the 
sky  of  Africa,  all  golden,  with  the  palms  delicately  defined 
in  feathery  crowns  of  foliage  on  the  luminous  background, 
the  walls  and  fortifications  of  Tunis  on  the  rocky  isthmus 
between  two  salt  lakes,  and  the  mosques  and  bazaars,  and 
network  of  narrow  streets,  where  the  silent  Moor,  wearing 
fez,  jacket,  and  trousers  of  crimson  cloth,  smokes  in  the 
shadow  of  yellow  and  red  awnings ;  the  tall  Arab,  envel- 
oped in  a  white  burnous,  passes  with  a  file  of  camels ;  and 
vendors  of  sweetmeats,  water,  fried  beans,  and  piles  of 
purple  fruit  protected  by  leaves,  come  and  go  in  the  glow 
of  white  walls  and  the  fretwork  shade  of  arcades.  The 
Italian  republics  emulated  each  other  in  holding  amicable 
relations  with  the  sultan  of  Tunis  in  their  time  of  active 
enterprise.  Venice,  Genoa,  Pisa,  and  Amalfi  sought  here 
wheat,  dried  fruits,  oils,  coral,  gold-dust,  morocco,  carpets, 
and  rich  fabrics  for  Europe. 

Nearer  the  frontier  Tabarca  rises  to  a  peak  of  rock,  with 
the  ruins  of  a  mediaeval  castle  still  visible  on  the  summit, 
and  a  small  harbor  frequented  by  coral  boats  when  the 
weather  is  too  rough  to  admit  of  their  pursuing  their  work 
at  sea.  Occasionally  a  native  craft  of  piratical  aspect 
glides  near  over  the  blue  waters,  the  swarthy  crew  with 
gaudy  sashes  and  earrings.  Did  the  Lomellini  cast  their 
grappling  gear  down  in  the  Tunisian  waters  to  the  realm 
of  sardine,  red  mullet,  lobster,  sea-urchin,  mussels,  and 
tunny  in  quest  of  the  coral  sprays  of  the  reef,  whereof  to 
fashion  clasps  for  the  Orientals,  delicate  ornaments  to  en- 
hance the  loveliness  of  fair  Greeks  or  Russians,  large  red 
beads  for  the  necks  of  negresses,  the  pear-shaped  bits  to 
serve  as  current  money  among  the  tribes  of  Africa,  and 
fans  with  clustering  shells  attached  to  polish  for  museums  ? 
Did  they  pause  at  the  Isle  of  Gerbi  between  Tunis  and 
Tripoli,  and  search  for  the  lotos  which  grows  there,  and 
grants  to  the  finder  immortality  ? 


A  FRUIT  FROM  THE  COLONIES.         181 

Outside  in  the  Piazza  the  wily  pcdler  has  sold  a  necklace 
to  llif  young  father,  who  enjoys  haggling  over  the  trans- 
action, and  adds  a  pair  of  coral  sleeve-loops  as  essential  to 
the  baby's  toilette.  Several  sympathetic  bystanders  give 
their  opinion,  and  the  young  father,  entirely  unembarrassed 
at  being  the  cynosure  of  many  eyes,  takes  them  into  his 
confidence.  You  depart;  but  the  pedlcr  swiftly  pursues  a 
fresh  victim,  brandishing  a  bracelet  at  the  corner,  extolling 
pins  and  eardrops  at  your  side,  and  finally  at  your  own 
door  presenting  a  branch  of  coral  of  the  pallid  hue  de- 
Bcribed  by  Dante.  You  buy  the  exquisite  specimen,  and 
climb  the  stairway,  wondering  if  it  came  from  the  Island 
of  Tabarca,  and  if,  in  their  sphere,  the  Lomellini  of  Genoa 
did  not  truly  eat  the  lotos  of  immortality. 

CONCERNING    FISH. 

The  apothecary  eats  salted  codfish  in  Lent,  and  on  all 
fast  days  of  the  church  calendar.  The  cod  acquires  a 
religious  significance  in  Catholic  countries  from  Dunkerque, 
where  prodigious  quantities  of  the  homely  food  are  reputed 
to  be  consumed,  served  in  smallest  portions  sold  for  a  few 
farthings  on  the  occasion  of  the  great  fete  of  Our  Lady  of 
the  I bmes,  when  the  fishermen  have  returned  from  their 
annual  voyage  to  Iceland,  to  the  dark  and  musty  little 
pharmacy  of  Genoa.  The  cod  has  played  an  important 
part  in  history.  The  American  may  estimate  the  fish  as  a 
familiar  subject  for  jest  and  song,  the  savory  if  frugal 
dish  of  the  domestic  circle  of  the  bleak  northern  coasts, 
and  scorned  by  the  inhabitants  of  more  southern  shores 
le  haunt  of  oyster,  crab,  and  terrapin.  The  opening 
of  the  fisheries  of  the  great  Bank  of  Newfoundland  is 
affirmed  to  have  changed  the  current  of  Mediterranean 
trade,  the  dried  or  salted  article  of  food  for  seasons  of 
f listing  having  been  previously  procured   from  the   Black 


182  GENOA  THE   SUPERB 

Sea.  The  invention  of  gunpowder  revolutionized  war,  the 
adaptation  of  the  marine  compass  rendered  possible  the 
discovery  of  America,  and  the  conversion  of  rags  into 
paper  adapted  for  printing  swept  away  rare  books.  Flor- 
ence boasted,  at  this  date,  of  making  glasses  to  aid  en- 
feebled sight.  According  to  Pliny  and  Seneca  the  ancients 
held  a  globe,  filled  with  water,  to  the  eye  to  render  objects 
larger  and  more  distinct.  Roger  Bacon  experimented 
with  the  segment  of  a  sphere,  obtaining  the  same  result. 
A  Florentine  buried  in  the  Church  of  Santa  Maria  Mag- 
giore,  Salvino  degli  Armati  by  name,  made  a  glass  of  lenti- 
cular qualities  hitherto  unknown,  and  ingeniously  shaped 
to  form  two  circles  connected  together  and  suspended 
before  the  eyes.  At  the  same  time,  in  1285,  Padre  Ales- 
sandro  Spina  of  Pisa  made  and  sold  similar  glasses.  Thus 
the  pair  of  spectacles  preceded  the  telescope  of  the  heav- 
ens. In  an  age  of  discoveries  and  inventions,  behold  the 
excellent  codfish  of  the  Newfoundland  Bank  swimming 
into  the  notice  of  Catholic  Europe  in  his  turn  !  Has  the 
large  and  vigorous  morrhua  vulgaris  ever  been  accorded  his 
due  meed  of  praise  in  a  busy  world,  except  by  the  silent 
and  grateful  multitudes  that  devour  his  firm  flakes  of 
flesh  ?  Have  patron  or  sculptor  erected  a  statue  to  the 
enterprising  sailor  who  caught  the  first  codfish  on  the 
Newfoundland  Bank,  as  the  Dutch  honored  the  country- 
man who  utilized  the  best  means  of  curing  herring  ? 

The  pharmacy  is  situated  near  the  Porta  San  Bartolo- 
meo  and  the  Church  of  St.  Bartholomew  of  the  Arme- 
nians, The  place  is  sombre  and  chill,  and  the  atmosphere 
dry,  as  if  a  smell  of  herbs  and  drugs  had  lingered  about 
shelf  and  drawer  for  years.  There  is  no  pretence  of 
modern  elegance  in  the  premises,  as  imparted  by  sparkling 
plate -glass,  marble,  and  chandelier.  A  sign  of  a  golden 
pine  cone  (Pina  d'oro)  is  still  visible  above  the  door.  In 
the  rear  of  the  shop  a  tabernacle  of  the  fifteenth  century 


A  FRUIT  FROM  THE  COLONIES.  183 

is  attached  to  the  wall,  containing  a  dilapidated  relief  of 
the  Madonna  in  terra-cotta,  surrounded  by  a  wreath  carved 
in  stone  to  represent  the  leaves,  flowers,  and  seeds  used  in 
medicine,  poppies,  pomegranates,  and  the  much  esteemed 
barley.  A  row  of  pharmacy  jars  of  ancient  majolica  stands 
on  brackets  near  the  ceiling.  These  receptacles  possess 
the  charm  of  mystery,  with  scutcheons  of  yellow  and  brown 
hues  painted  on  the  sides,  or  allegorical  designs,  and 
patterns  of  blue  and  yellow  interwoven,  each  with  a  cover 
fitting  closely.  What  do  they  contain  ?  They  might 
belong  to  the  centuries  when  Genoa  dealt  largely  with 
Asia,  bringing  to  Europe  Chinese  porcelain,  Japanese 
metal-work,  iron  and  gold  of  Cochin  China,  diamonds  and 
gems  of  Golconda  and  Pegu,  drugs  from  the  Moluccas, 
opium,  borax,  and  nitre  from  Bengal,  camphor  and  the 
wood  of  Brazil  from  Sumatra,  musk  from  Thibet,  incense 
and  balsam  from  Arabia,  and  saffron  from  India.  They 
might  still  hoard  the  rhubarb  once  prized  in  the  Venetian 
lagoons  as  imported  from  the  Chinese  province  of  Sechuen, 
the  mountains  of  Siberia  and  Tartary,  a  plant  gathered  at 
a  high  degree  of  latitude  over  an  immense  extent  of  Asia ; 
aloes,  or  the  sugars  of  Damascus,  Majorca,  and  Sicily. 
All  suggests  the  day  when  the  apothecaries  and  the 
grocers  belonged  to  the  same  Guild.  If  the  little  shop  is 
dingy  and  shabby,  and  situated  in  an  out-of-the-way  nook 
of  the  town,  it  enjoys  much  popularity.  Priests  resort 
hither,  as  a  sort  of  club,  and  doctors,  hopeful  of  clients. 
Sundry  old  gentlemen  with  weak  throats  have  firm  faith 
in  the  drops  made  of  pine  essence,  and  the  strips  of  red 
jujube-paste,  and  the  tar  lozenges  prepared  here.  Possi- 
bly the  proprietor  exercises  a  sort  of  spell  over  these 
customers.  He  may  be  initiated  in  those  secrets  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  known  to  the  fraternity  of  Montpellier, 
obtained  from  the  Levant,  or  Jewish  and  Arabian  physi- 
cians, and  make  comfits  of  honey,  balm,  and  aromatic  gums, 


184  GENOA   THE   SUPERB. 

or  cure  headache  and  maladies  of  the  stomach  with  com- 
pounds of  ginger,  pepper,  cinnamon,  cloves,  and  nutmeg. 
Who  knows  that  he  does  not  make  electuaries  to  preserve 
the  wearer  from  modern  cholera,  as  his  brethren  sought  to 
avert  the  pest  by  the  same  means  in  the  Middle  Ages  ? 

The  apothecary  is  a  tall  and  cadaverous  person  of 
taciturn  temperament.  He  was  born  in  the  shadow  of 
the  Church  of  St.  Bartholomew  of  the  Armenians,  and  has 
a  firm  belief  in  the  gift  of  the  Doge  Montaldo,  in  dying,  of 
the  miraculous  portrait  of  Christ,  printed  on  a  cloth,  from 
Odessa,  and  not  to  be  confounded  with  the  napkin  of  Saint 
Veronica.  He  is  very  devout,  —  and  surely  a  chemist,  of 
all  men,  should  be  conscientious. 

On  a  Friday  morning  the  old  Flavia,  wife  of  the  cobbler 
at  the  corner,  who  takes  care  of  this  bachelor  establishment, 
thrusts  her  head  in  at  the  door. 

"  What  shall  I  buy  for  dinner  ?  "  she  demands. 

The  man  of  drugs  replies,  — 

"  Codfish  (baecala)  ;  and  do  not  serve  it  with  white  sauce 
and  egg,  Flavia  mia,  but  dress  it  with  a  little  oil." 

Then  he  glances  around  at  his  customers  as  who  should 
say :  "  Am  I  not  an  example,  and  a  good  son  of  the 
Church?" 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE   ROYAL   ASPHODEL. 

TRAVELLERS  in  the  Maremma  describe  a  strange 
plant  that  blooms  amidst  the  insidious  influence  of 
the  doomed  region.  It  is  a  tall  product  of  marshy  soil, 
with  long  leaves,  a  reddish  stem,  loaded  with  delicate  pink 
blossoms,  the  pistils  and  stamens  having  a  warmer  crimson 
tint,  and  bears  the  name  of  Asphodelia.  There  is  a  super- 
stition among  the  country-folk  that  to  taste  the  juice  is  to 
be  smitten  with  madness  and  death.  This  is  not  to  be  con- 
founded with  the  yellow  flower  of  the  sunshine,  swaying 
a  golden  crown  on  an  emerald-green  stalk  about  castle 
walls,  nor  the  weird  bloom  of  the  twilight,  clustering  on 
the  meadows  of  Magna  Grrecia  for  the  spirits  and  shades  of 
the  dead  to  dwell  among,  the  true  asphodel  of  the  poets  ;  but 
it  may  be  a  sort  of  wicked  and  outcast  cousin  of  the  species. 
The  Emperor  Frederic  II.  resembled  the  plant  of  the 
Maremma.  He  was  a  rich  and  rare  personality,  unlike  his 
fellows,  sadly  misapprehended  by  many  of  his  contempor- 
aries, and  probably  not  clearly  estimated  by  posterity  at  a 
true  valuation.  A  great  prince  of  liberal  culture,  and 
mental  endowments  far  in  advance  of  his  day,  his  own 
royal  path  was  plentifully  sown  with  thorns  of  rebellion 
and  private  ingratitude  by  his  adversaries,  and  he  be- 
queathed an  ample  inheritance  of  discord,  madness,  and 
death  in  the  feuds  of  Guelph  and  Ghibelline.  He  was 
the  Asphodelia  of  the  Maremma  among  Italian  rulers, 
attaining  a   vigorous  growth   of   power,  with  the  delicate 


186  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

blossoms  of  refined  tastes  and  pursuits,  and  that  rank  sap 
of  being  drawn  from  the  embittered  sources  of  human 
wisdom  and  worldly  cynicism.  What  do  we  really  know 
of  the  actual  character  of  this  stately  emperor  ?  Little,  or 
nothing !  "  The  actions  of  princes  are  like  those  great 
rivers,  the  course  of  which  every  one  beholds,  but  their 
springs  have  been  seen  by  few."  Son  of  Henry  VI. 
and  grandson  of  the  great  Barbarossa,  Frederic  II.  was 
born  in  Italy  in  1194.  His  mother  was  Constance,  daughter 
of  King  Roger  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  from  whom  she  in- 
herited the  throne.  She  died  during  his  infancy,  and 
intrusted  her  illustrious  offspring  to  the  guardianship  of 
Pope  Innocent  III.  Possibly  the  Empress  Constance 
sought  to  avert  by  this  measure  the  hostility  of  the  Vati- 
can to  the  great  House  of  Suabia  for  the  son  who  was  to 
incur  the  fullest  measure  of  the  animosity  of  the  court  of 
Rome.  To  the  great  abilities  of  the  Pope  Innocent  III. 
as  guardian,  combined  with  diligent  study,  may  we  not 
attribute  the  educational  advantages  which  rendered 
Frederic  proficient  in  Greek,  Arabic,  French,  and  other 
tongues?  To  the  energy  and  austerity  of  character  of  a 
pontiff  who  sought  every  means  of  increasing  his  own  tem- 
poral power,  —  placing  France  under  an  interdict  because 
the  King,  Philip  Augustus,  had  attempted  to  repudiate  his 
wife  in  1199 ;  excommunicating  Otho,  Emperor  of  Germany, 
in  1212,  to  elevate  Frederic  II.  of  Sicily  on  his  throne  ; 
quarrelling  with  King  John  of  England  over  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  ;  and  waging  war  in 
1214  on  the  Albigenses,  —  may  we  not  attribute  a  rebellious 
waywardness  in  a  pupil  with  the  blood  of  the  Hohen- 
staufen  race  in  his  veins  ?  Frederic  was  crowned  as 
emperor  at  Aix-la-Chapelle  in  1214,  after  the  defeat  of  his 
rival  Otho,  and  was  supported  by  the  Ghibelline  party  in 
an  attempt  to  unite  Germany  and  Italy  in  one  empire, 
while  the  Pope  and  the  Guelphs  opposed  him.     In  1220,  he 


THE   ROYAL  ASPHODEL.  187 

removed  his  court  to  Naples,  which  belonged  to  him  by 
inheritance.  Gregory  IX.  succeeded  Honorius  III.  to  the 
Papacy  in  1-27,  and  insisted  on  Frederic's  undertaking  a 
crusade,  in  accordance  with  a  vow  extorted  from  him  in 
earlier  youth  by  the  Pope.  Here  is  a  curious  trait  in  the 
rich  and  strange  Royal  Asphodel;  not  lacking  in  bravery 
or  energy,  Frederic  embarked  on  the  expedition,  but 
turned  back  before  reaching  Jerusalem,  for  which  Gregory 
promptly  excommunicated  him,  schoolboy  fashion.  The 
emperor  ultimately  made  the  crusade  in  1228,  obtained 
possession  of  Jerusalem,  and  thus  soothed  the  Pontifical  ire 
temporarily.  The  term  of  Gregory's  rule  was  marked 
by  conflicts  with  Frederic  and  the  Ghibelline  faction  on 
one  side,  and  Pope  and  Guelph  on  the  other. 

Genoa  was  inextricably  involved  in  these  events.  Henry 
VI.  had  given  Genoa  all  rights  over  Monaco,  and  Fred- 
eric II.  graciously  confirmed  the  act  of  his  father ;  but 
the  Sea  City,  dedicated  to  the  Madonna,  and  usually  very 
respectful  to  the  Pope,  soon  vacillated  from  allegiance  to 
the  grandson  of  Barbarossa.  Pisa  was  loyal  to  the  House 
of  Suabia,  while  Venice  and  Genoa  were  hostile.  In  1232, 
a  parliament  was  held  in  the  Church  of  San  Lorenzo  at 
Genoa,  to  read  the  letters  addressed  to  the  Republic  at 
that  date  by  the  emperor.  A  clamor  arose,  and  the  as- 
semblage was  dispersed.  German  historians  maintain 
that  i  he  Genoese  podesta  gave  the  missives  a  false  in- 
terpretation, calculated  to  irritate  all  listeners  on  the  oc- 
casion, reading  aloud  that  Frederic  exacted  of  the  people 
an  oath  of  fidelity  and  sovereignty  instead  of  fidelity  and 
vassalage. 

Then  arose  the  Genoese  Pope  Innocent  IV.  Sinibaldo 
de  Ficschi  was  elected  to  the  Holy  See  in  1243,  as  suc- 
cessor  of  Celestine  IV.  He  soon  became  involved  in  the 
standing  quarrel  with  Frederic  II.,  and  retired  to  Lyons 
for   greater  safety   from   so   bold   an   adversary.      Genoa 


188  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

thoroughly  espoused  the  cause  of  the  new  Pontiff.  He 
visited  his  native  city,  and  was  received  with  every  demon- 
stration of  respect  and  patriotic  interest  by  the  citizens. 
He  fell  ill  in  the  midst  of  imposing  ceremonies,  and  was 
removed  to  the  Badia  of  Sestri  for  the  benefit  of  purer  air, 
where  he  recovered  sufficiently  to  be  carried  in  a  litter  to 
Savona,  and  thence  made  his  way  to  France  by  Piedmont 
and  the  Alps.  In  June  of  the  year  1245  Pope  Innocent 
IV.  held  a  council  in  the  Church  of  St.  Just  at  Lyons 
to  confirm  all  previous  condemnation  of  the  emperor  of 
Germany  and  king  of  Sicily.  Was  the  act  one  of  individ- 
ual temerity,  or  a  fixed  determination  to  confirm  the 
dominion  over  a  wayward  pupil  attempted  by  Innocent 
III.  during  his  guardianship  of  Frederic  ?  The  Pope 
enumerated  to  the  senate  of  the  church  the  misfortunes 
of  Christianity  at  that  hour.  He  stated  that  in  the  north 
the  Mongol  Tartars  had  invaded  Russia,  Poland,  and 
Hungary,  while  the  successors  of  Genghis-Khan  also  held 
China,  Persia,  and  Asia  Minor.  In  the  south  the  people 
driven  from  their  own  country  by  the  Mongols,  had  invaded 
Jerusalem,  and  put  the  Christians  of  the  Holy  Land  to  the 
sword.  The  Latin  Empire  of  Constantinople,  enfeebled  by 
wars,  did  not  venture  outside  of  the  city  fortifications,  and 
the  sovereign  was  forced  by  poverty  to  rob  the  roof  of  the 
palace  of  his  ancestors  of  the  tin  and  lead  used  in  building. 
Western  Europe,  menaced  by  all  these  dangers,  could  do 
nothing  because  of  the  feud  existing  between  the  emperor 
and  the  Pope. 

Pierre  des  Vigncs  and  Taddeo  de  Suessa  appeared  at  the 
council  in  defence  of  Frederic  II.  The  latter  spoke,  while 
the  former,  the  favorite  of  the  sovereign,  was  silent,  —  an- 
other enigma  of  history. 

One  of  the  grievances  alleged  to  have  been  urged  by 
Innocent  IV.  was  the  fact  that  Frederic  II.  had  received 
the  sultan    of    Egypt   in   Sicily  with  every  courtesy,  and 


THE   ROYAL   ASPHODEL.  189 

liked  association  with  the  Saracens.  Perhaps  the  culprit 
displayed  a  diplomatic  policy  emulated  by  modern  sov- 
ereigns, and  possibly  the  Orientals  were  as  agreeable 
companions  as  the  Christians  of  those  times.  Frederic 
haughtily  and  firmly  refused  to  submit  to  the  fresh  ex- 
communication of  the  council  of  Lyons,  and  renewed  the 
conflict  with  Innocent,  which  lasted  until  the  death  of  the 
former. 

Frederic  11.  seems  to  have  possessed  a  dual  nature, 
which  is  remarkably  rich  in  a  manifold  suggestiveness. 
lie  was  a  Eohenstaufen  in  his  qualities  of  ambitious  ruler 
and  German  in  all  spiritual  and  profound  mental  gifts, 
and  Italian  in  the  softer  graces  of  attraction  toward  the 
beautiful  or  sensual  in  classical  forms  of  art.  He  was 
the  grandson  of  Barbarossa  when,  after  his  collision  with 
;ory  IX.,  and  the  council  was  ordered  to  be  held  in 
St.  John  Lateran,  he  armed  all  his  ships  in  Sicily,  joined 
the  Pisan  fleet  under  command  of  Ugolino  Buzzache'rino, 
ami  waylaid  the  Genoese  en  route  for  Ostia  with  the 
French  cardinals  on  board  invited  to  the  conference  be- 
tween the  islands  of  Gigiio  and  Melorla.  Four  thousand 
Genoese  were  made  prisoners  by  the  forces  of  Frederic, 
and  carried  to  Sicily,  —  a  defeat  long  remembered  by  the 
proud  Republic.  The  cardinals,  bishops,  and  deputies 
taken  by  Pisa  were  placed  in  the  chapter  house  of  the 
cathedral  in  silver  chains  as  a  mark  of  respect. 

He  attains  a  majesty  worthy  of  a  Cassar  in  the  scene 
described  by  Matthew  of  Paris,  when  the  favorite  Pierre 
'1'  s  Yi-rnes  has  a  physician  present  a  cup  of  medicine 
previously  poisoned  to  the  royal  patient,  who  is  indisposed. 
eric  takes  the  fatal  potion  in  his  hand,  glances  at 
his  intimate  confidant,  and  remarks  jestingly  :  "  You 
would  not  poison  me."  Then  with  the  sudden  frown  of 
the  great  House  of  Suabia  he  passes  the  cup,  untasted,  to 
the  physician,  commanding  him  to  drink  half  of  the  po- 


190  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

tion.  The  latter  complies  in  terror,  drops  the  chalice, 
and  soon  after  dies.  "  You  would  not  harm  me,  I  am 
aware."  The  words  of  Frederic  addressed  to  Pierre  des 
Vignes,  the  man  of  talent  raised  from  obscurity  to  posts 
of  honor,  in  their  profound  cynicism  and  scepticism  of  all 
human  gratitude,  come  down  to  us  through  the  lapsing 
years  like  the  echo  of  Julius  Csesar's  "  Et  tu,  Brute,"  or  the 
mocking  query  of  Augustus  on  his  death-bed  :  "  Has  the 
farce  been  well  played  ?  Then  applaud  !  "  These  wearers 
of  imperial  crowns  grasped  shadows,  and  fathoming  Bos- 
suet's  depths  of  disillusionment,  found — nothing. 

Frederic  was  southern  and  Latin  in  his  fondness  for  poetry 
and  music,  luxurious,  living  amidst  favorites  and  strange 
animals.  He  wrote  verses  in  Sicilian  and  Provencal,  and 
had  tasted  of  the  wondrous  fruits  of  Persian  and  Arabian 
poetry.  Belonging  to  the  mystic  school,  by  nature,  of 
Saint  Francis  of  Assisi,  Guillaume  de  Lorris,  Cavalcanti, 
and  Dante,  he  did  not  request  Rome  to  tune  his  lyre.  He 
was  superstitious,  and  his  armies  were  reputed  to  move 
only  after  consulting  certain  astrologers,  and  the  position 
of  the  stars  in  the  heavens  duly  noted.  Frederic  II.  died 
in  1251. 

This  event  was  followed  by  the  return  of  Innocent  IV. 
from  France  to  Italy.  The  Pope  coasted  Provence  and 
western  Liguria,  escorted  by  six  Genoese  galleys.  He 
disembarked  one  mile  from  Genoa,  and  pausing  on  the 
right  bank  of  Polcevera,  gave  the  apostolic  benediction  to 
a  kneeling  multitude.  This  is  one  of  most  picturesque 
scenes  in  Genoese  history.  Innocent  mounted  on  a  horse, 
and  proceeded  towards  the  city,  accompanied  by  many 
cardinals,  where  he  was  met  by  the  podesta  carrying  a 
gold  staff  of  office,  and  the  rectors  of  the  people  support- 
ing a  magnificent  canopy  of  state.  Thus  the  ambitious 
scion  of  the  race  of  the  Fieschi  entered  his  native  town, 
doubtless  imagining  at  the  moment  that  he  was  the  great- 


Interior  of  the  Church  of  S.  Ambrogio. 


THE   ROYAL   ASPHODEL.  1D1 

est  of  Genoa's  sons,  —  and  Columbus  was  not  born.  The 
crowd  surged  around  him,  moved  by  religious  enthusiasm, 
and  the  casements  and  balconies  were  hung  with  tapes- 
tries and  velvet  in  his  honor. 

Once  more  reinstated  in  power,  Innocent  IV.  excom- 
municated Conrad,  the  son  and  successor  of  Frederic  II. 
The  House  of  Suabia  was  persecuted  by  Rome  for  an  entire 
century,  and  according  to  Sismondi  accused  of  the  most 
improbable  crimes.  Barbarossa  was  said  to  have  caused 
the  death  of  two  children  of  his  son,  Henry  VI.  ;  Manfred 
of  stifling  his  father,  Frederic  II.,  under  cushions  in  ill- 
ness, at  Ferentino  ;  Conrad  of  poisoning  the  young  Henry, 
and  Manfred  of  poisoning  Conrad. 

Frederic  II.  was  the  Royal  Asphodel,  a  strange  plant, 
product  of  the  rank  Maremma  of  humanity. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

A    CARRIER   PIGEON. 

IN  the  Street  of  the  Watermelon  (Via  Ricasoli)  of  Flor- 
ence exists  a  Pigeon  Society,  of  which  one  occasionally 
reads  the  announcement  in  a  local  journal  that  a  confer- 
ence will  be  held  in  the  rooms  of  the  association,  at  a 
stated  time,  when  some  member,  learned  on  the  subject, 
will  deliver  a  lecture. 

A  Florentine  noble,  who  has  purchased  of  the  Italian 
government  the  little  island  of  Monte  Cristo  in  the  Tuscan 
Archipelago,  rendered  famous  by  Alexandre  Dumas,  in- 
tends to  establish  a  service  of  carrier  pigeons  between  this 
charming  retreat  of  pleasure  and  the  mainland.  Who 
would  not  scorn  steam-yacht  communication,  sail,  or  pro- 
saic submarine  cable,  if  winged  postmen  could  be  employed, 
kindred  of  the  feathered  flocks  haunting  the  roof  of  the 
Florence  cathedral,  or  San  Marco  at  Venice  ? 

To  become  a  carrier  pigeon  in  spirit,  as  George  Sand 
embodied  a  leaf,  a  bird,  growing  grass,  and  fly  down  to 
the  margin  of  the  Mediterranean  in  fine  weather,  what  a 
closely  written  page  of  Genoese  history  lies  outspread  be- 
fore the  gaze  in  the  islands  visible  on  the  shining  track  of 
waters !  Elba  is  a  rock,  bathed  in  purple  mist ;  Pianosa 
stretches  low  on  the  surface  of  the  sea ;  Giglio  is  gray  in 
hue,  as  revealing  in  the  distance  the  granite  quarries 
whence  Rome  drew  columns  for  the  Forum  of  Trajan  and 
the  Temple  of  Venus  ;  Gorgona  rises  in  a  sharply  outlined 


A   CARRIER   PIGEON.  193 

cone  ;  and  Gapraja  cherishes  still  historic  fame  of  many 
centuries,  from  the  early  Christian  occupancy  of  the  fourth 
century,  the  defeat  of  the  Saracens,  by  the  Genoese,  Lam- 
berto  Oibo,  id  the  eleventh  century,  to  the  occupancy  of 
Lord  Nelson,  and  the  final  residence  of  Garibaldi;  while 
Sardinia  and  Corsica  are  blue  clouds  on  the  horizon. 
Saint  Ambrose  irrote  :  — 

"Those  [flies  cast  on  the  sea  by  God,  like  a  collar  of  pearls, 
became  the  refuge  of  such  men  as  wished  to  hold  aloof  from 
all  ill-regulated  pleasures,  to  flee  from  the  world.  Here  they 
lived  in  austere  moderation,  and  escaped  the  snares  of  evil. 
The  sea  afforded  them  a  veil  for  their  penances,  and  aided 
them  in  acquiring  a  perfect  and  constant  continence,  all  sur- 
roundings suggesting  elevated  reflections.  The  mysterious 
music  <»t'  the  deep  mingled  with  the  chanting  of  psalms,  and 
while  the  waves  Itroke  on  the  shore  with  a  low  murmur,  from 
their  bosom  was  heard  ascending  to  the  sky  the  peaceful  tones 
of  the  choir  of  the  elect."' 

These  communities  of  early  monks  left  traces  of  the 
monasteries  and  chapels  built  by  them  on  nearly  every 
island.  Sere  they  devoted  themselves  to  prayer  and  medi- 
tation,  their  food  consisting  of  a  little  barley  bread  and  a 
handful  of  herbs. 

Pisa  basks  in  golden  sunshine,  and  a  sense  of  depression 
creeps  over  the  frame  of  the  loiterer  in  her  streets;  yet 
there  is  no  element  of  sombre  melancholy  in  her  desertion, 
—  only  a  stillness  of  warm  light  steeping  pine  woods,  and 
astes  in  an  atmosphere  of  soft  revery.  It  is  diffi- 
cult ■  »  associate  a  stirring  and  valiant  past  with  the  present 
tranquillity  of  Pisa,  left  far  inland  by  the  ebbing  sea.  A 
marl  of  importance  under  the  Romans  at  the  beginning  of 
the  eleventh  century,  Pisa  became  one  of  the  chief  towns 
of  the  Mediterranean  in  maritime  and  commercial  impor- 
tance, and  a  rival  of  Genoa  and  Venice.     Her  zeal  in  aid- 

13 


194  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

ing  the  Crusades  and  establishing  relations  with  the  Le- 
vant equalled  that  of  Genoa.  There  was  an  early  and 
modest  Pisa,  where  the  citizens  lived  economically,  without 
display  of  luxury  in  the  table  and  household  furniture, 
owning  nearly  the  whole  of  the  island  of  Sardinia,  with 
Elba,  and  having  colonies  at  Constantinople  and  St.  John 
d'Acre.  Such  was  the  fertility  of  the  province  and  the 
prosperity  of  all  enterprise  of  trade,  that  a  few  years  of 
peace  filled  the  coffers  of  the  town.  In  1276  Florence 
obliged  Pisa  to  take  back  the  nobles  she  had  banished  in 
the  exile  of  political  conflict.  A  change  ensued.  The 
Pisan  nobles  began  to  assume  the  pomp  of  Italian  sover- 
eigns, with  vassals.  The  counts  Ugolino,  Fazio,  and  An- 
selmo,  as  well  as  Gallura,  judge  of  Arborea,  had  each  a 
little  court  and  army.  Pisa  became  proud  of  all  this 
splendor.  Rivalry  with  Genoa  resulted,  with  collisions  of 
interest  in  the  East,  quarrels  over  Corsica,  the  seizure  of 
a  Genoese  galley  near  Sicily  by  Pisans,  and  even  the  in- 
citement of  the  inhabitants  of  St.  John  d'Acre  to  drive 
out  the  Genoese  merchants,  and  plunder  their  warehouses. 
Evasions,  skirmishes,  and  provocations  followed  between 
these  irritated  neighbors.  In  the  diplomacy  of  worldly 
wisdom  Genoa  and  Pisa  may  have  played  a  wary  game  of 
chess  at  that  date ;  but  they  also  resembled  those  crusta- 
ceans, the  lobsters  and  the  crabs,  that  rush  out  of  a  re- 
treat, brandish  a  taunting  claw  in  the  air  to  attract  the 
attention  of  a  rival,  and  then  sidle  back  to  a  crevice  in 
the  rocks  to  meditate  on  the  situation',  until  provocation 
proves  too  strong,  and  the  combatants  close  with  each 
other  in  mortal  conflict.  Thus,  in  August,  1282,  Niccolo 
Spinola  approached  the  mouth  of  the  Arno,  with  a  fleet  of 
twenty-six  galleys,  and  retreated  when  the  Pisans  came 
forth  to  greet  him  with  thirty  galleys.  Eight  days  later 
the  Pisan  Admiral  Ginicello  Sismondi,  in  turn,  set  sail  for 
Genoa,  advanced    to   Porto   Yenere   without   encountering 


A  CAlililER  PIGEON.  l'Jo 

the  foe,  pillaged  the  shore  and  adjacent  country,  and  pre- 
pared to  return  home  in  triumph,  when  a  tempest  over- 
whelmed the  victors,  on  the  ninth  of  September,  and  the 
ships  foundered  between  Viareggio  and  the  river  Serchio. 
The  Pisan  admiral  was  not  discouraged.  He  called  a 
council,  demanded  funds,  and  urged  the  building  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  ne\n  ships.  The  two  cities  sent  emis- 
saries, accompanied  by  tour  commissioners,  to  each  other, 
to  ascertain  the  extent  of  warlike  projects  entertained  at 
home.  Pisa  learned  the  number  of  galleys  being  built  by 
Genoa,  and  constructed  the  same,  in  active  emulation. 
In  1283  the  Pisana  chose  Admiral  Rosso  Buzzacherini  to 
command  their  forces ;  bul  the  year  passed  without  deci- 
sive action,  although  the  Pisans  advanced  to  the  port  of 
Genoa  with  sixty-four  vessels,  and  the  Genoese  confronted 
them  with  seventy  galleys  ;  hence  the  usual  retreat.  The 
ensuing  season  found  the  rivals  mutually  determined  to 
ten  innate  such  fruitless  warfare.  On  the  first  of  May  a 
hat  tie  took  place,  a  Pisan  vessel  sank,  and  three  others 
were  disabled.  The  victory  belonged  to  the  Genoese,  eight 
galleys  and  fifteen  hundred  prisoners  having  been  captured 
by  them.  Pisa  returned  home  crestfallen,  but  determined 
to  avenue  her  humiliation.  Alberto  Morosini  of  Venice 
was  chosen  podesta,  a  notable  sailor,  while  Count  Ogolino 
della  Gheradesca  and  Andreotto  Saracini  were  appointed 
captains  of  the  fleet.  The  public  treasury  was  nearly  ex- 
hausted by  former  armaments,  but  the  Pisan  nobles  staked 
their  private  fortunes  to  recover  their  national  honor. 
The  Lanfranchi  armed  eleven  galleys;  the  Gualandi,  the 
Lei.  and  the  Gaetani  six,  while  less  opulent  families  united 
to  equip  one  vessel.  This  generous  devotion  created  a 
fleet  of  one  hundred  and  three  galleys,  which  sailed  to  the 
Port  of  Genoa,  and  provoked  the  latter  to  combat  by  shoot- 
ing three  silver  arrows.  Genoa  prudently  declined  the 
challenge  until  such  time  as  she  could  muster  one  hundred 


196  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

and  seven  galleys,  and  sail  before  Pisa.  The  Pisans,  full 
of  enthusiasm,  re-embarked  on  the  fleet  at  anchor  between 
the  two  bridges  of  the  town  ;  the  archbishop  gave  his  bless- 
ing, raising  high  the  standard  of  the  commune  on  the  old 
bridge,  and  the  crew  descended  to  the  mouth  of  the  Arno. 
Next  day,  August  6,  1284,  the  two  fleets  met  near  the 
little  island  of  Meloria,  and  the  combat  began.  The 
Genoese  had  received  a  reinforcement  of  thirty  galleys, 
commanded  by  Benedetto  Zacchari,  and  hid  them  behind 
Meloria.  Pisa  staked  the  safety  of  her  republic  and  the 
empire  of  the  lower  sea  on  the  issue.  The  shock  of  battle 
was  terrible,  the  struggle  equal,  and  the  number  that  per- 
ished very  great,  some  falling  on  the  decks,  others  cast 
into  the  sea,  and  still  more  striving  to  regain  a  place  by 
clinging  to  oars  and  bulwarks,  while  the  waves  became 
reddened  with  blood,  and  helmets,  arrows,  lances,  and 
bucklers  were  scattered  on  the  current.  The  hot  blood  of 
the  race  was  warmed  at  last ;  captains  shouted  to  their 
soldiers,  exhorting  them  to  remember  that  the  very  exist- 
ence of  their  country  was  in  question,  and  never  before  had 
they  been  brought  face  to  face  with  the  enemy  in  these 
waters  ;  and  the  troops  responded  with  cries  of  fury.  At 
the  critical  moment  when  Morosini  had  grappled  with 
Doria,  the  thirty  galleys  of  Benedetto  Zaecheri  appeared, 
captured  the  Pisan  admiral  on  the  other  side,  and  the 
Count  Ugolino  beat  a  retreat.  The  Pisan  loss  was  esti- 
mated at  five  thousand  slain  and  eleven  thousand  prison- 
ers. The  Tuscan  jest  resulted  that  if  one  wished  to  see 
Pisa  one  must  go  to  Genoa. 

Pisa  never  recovered  from  this  cruel  blow.  The  women 
flocked  along  the  roads  leading  to  the  sea,  tearing  their 
hair  in  grief  and  despair,  and  for  six  months  desolation 
and  sorrow  for  the  dead  brooded  over  the  town. 

Genoa  showed  that  robust  fibre  in  her  triumph  which  her 
enemies  found  so  hard  to  bear,  returning   thanks  in  the 


A  CARRIER  PIGEON.  197 

churches  for  their  victory,  and  then  discussing  the  fate  of  so 
many  prisoners.  Sumo  of  the  senators  were  in  favor  of  de- 
manding,  as  ransom,  the  Castle  of  Castro  in  Sardinia,  the 
bulwark  of  the  Pisan  possessions,  and  others  wished  a  sum 
of  silver  paid.  Jealousy  suggested  detaining  the  captives  in 
order  that  their  wives  might  not  remarry,  and  the  popula- 
tion of  Pisa  thus  be  reduced.  Disagreements  continuing, 
the  Pisans  were  not  released  for  sixteen  years,  when  their 
number  was  found  diminished  from  eleven  to  one  thousand 
by  age,  wounds,  and  illness. 

The  Guelphs  of  Tuscany  were  still  more  ungenerous.  Pisa 
was  the  only  Ghibelline  city,  and  they  proposed  to  form 
a  league  of  Florence,  Lucca,  Siena,  Prato,  Pistoia  and  Vol- 
terra,  inviting  Genoa  to  join  them,  to  raze  the  fortifica- 
tions of  this  antagonist,  and  scatter  her  population  through 
the  country.  All  Florentines  dwelling  at  Pisa  were  or- 
dered to  depart,  and  six  hundred  Florentine  horsemen 
approached  by  way  of  Volterra,  ravaging  Pisan  territory, 
even  inciting  the  lords  of  several  castles  to  revolt.  Note 
the  skill  and  address  of  the  times  !  Pisa  nominated  Count 
Ugolino  captain-general  of  their  city  for  ten  years.  A 
Ghibelline  by  birth  and  a  Guelph  by  alliance,  ambitious 
to  rule,  suspected  of  treachery,  and  in  accord  with  the 
enemy  in  secret,  Pisa  availed  herself  of  this  tool,  and 
escaped  destruction.  What  manner  of  man  was  Count 
Ugolino  of  the  Famine  Tower?  Was  he  thoroughly  un- 
scrupulous and  depraved,  merely  meddlesome  and  fussy, 
or  unequal  to  the  game  of  skill  he  strove  to  sustain  with 
his  contemporaries  ?  He  was  accused  of  sending  the 
Florence  priors  bottles  filled  with  gold  pieces  instead  of 
the  wine  of  Vernaccia,  promising  Pisan  castles  to  diverse 
foes,  treating  with  Genoa  for  Castro  in  Sardinia  as  a  ran- 
som for  the  prisoners,  making  overtures  to  Lucca  until 
he  became  odious  alike  to  Guelph  and  Ghibelline.  He 
banished  powerful    Ghibelline    leaders    and  destroyed  ten 


198  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

Pisan  palaces.  The  magistrates  bade  him  retire  from  the 
palace  of  the  magistracy,  and  a  new  podesta  was  ap- 
pointed. His  nephew  Nino  di  Galluro  rose  against  him, 
and  the  Archbishop  Roger  shared  the  rule  in  1288.  The 
Count  Ugolino  was  violent,  the  Archbishop  Roger  dei 
Ubaldini  calm,  until  assured  of  Ghibelline  support;  and  he 
succeeded  in  imprisoning  his  rival,  together  with  four  sons, 
in  the  Tower  dei  Gunlande  in  the  Piazza  Anziani,  and 
threw  the  keys  into  the  Arno.  Perhaps  the  fearful  deed 
will  stand  in  the  immortal  verse  of  Dante  longer  than  the 
walls  of  Pisa,  and  Ugolino  be  seen  in  the  sea  of  ice  of 
traitors  to  country,  gnawing  ever  the  cranium  of  the  guilty 
archbishop. 

Pisa  basks  in  golden  sunshine.  She  ceased  to  dominate 
at  Constantinople  and  in  the  Grecian  Archipelago  after 
her  great  battle  with  doughty  Genoa,  and  she  withdrew 
her  houses  of  business  from  Syria.  With  the  downfall  of 
the  princes  of  Hohenstaufen  she  gradually  sank  into 
lethargy.  Silent  forever  are  the  valiant  combatants  of 
the  rival  cities.  If  the  carrier  pigeon  wings  its  flight 
over  the  blue  waves,  the  chants  of  the  early  monks  may 
still  echo  above  the  murmur  of  the  waters  rising  from  the 
islands,  jewels  on  the  expanse  of  tranquil  sea. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  VENETIAN  PRISONER. 

THE  modern  Alcaeus  dwells  at  Genoa  on  the  first  floor 
of  a  mansion  of  antique  solidity  rather  than  of  mag- 
nificent exterior,  with  his  casements  overlooking  the  Via 
degli  Orefici,  where  the  goldsmiths  have  their  shops. 
If  the  interior  of  the  apartment  is  sombre  in  dull  weather, 
a  glimpse  may  be  obtained  down  in  the  street  in  the  rows 
of  shop  windows  of  glittering  metal,  wreathed  in  fantastic 
shapes,  chains  of  delicate  frost-work,  and  the  favorite 
flower,  the  marguerite,  attached  to  pin  or  aigrette.  The 
bald  head  of  the  old  man  who  is  chief  artisan  in  the  op- 
posite establishment  is  visible  as  he  bends  over  a  table 
covered  with  tools,  fashioning  a  tiny  Saint  George  on  his 
steed  for  the  hand  of  a  gilt  souvenir  spoon.  The  venerable 
craftsman,  born  and  bred  in  his  sphere,  has  so  often  re- 
peated familiar  statues  in  the  wee  figures  adorning  the 
spoons  that  he  has  attained  the  proficiency  of  the  Tyrolese 
in  carving  wood,  or  Prosperzia  di  Rossi  of  Bologna,  who 
portrayed  the  Crucifixion  with  attendant  groups  of  disciples, 
women,  and  soldiers  on  peach  and  cherry  stones. 

Alcaeus  is  an  invalid  with  nerves,  but  of  a  mild  disposi- 
tion, who  would  not  harm  a  fly ;  and  yet  his  thoughts  turn 
on  warfare,  and  his  conversation  is  of  the  secret  of  smoke- 
less powder,  dynamite  cannon,  and  the  campaigns  of  an- 
cient nations.  The  hand-to-hand  conflicts  of  Genoa  with 
Pisa  and  Venice  of  old  inspire  him  with  enthusiasm,  and 
he  rehearses  the  scenes  of  carnage  with  historical  accu- 


200  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

racy.  The  world  is  full  of  such  anomalies.  He  is  a 
collector  of  armor,  or  rather  of  obsolete  engines  of  de- 
struction. Like  the  lyric  poet  Alcseus,  he  has  his  armory, 
where  polished  helmets  with  plumes  of  white  horsehair 
attached,  and  burnished  brazen  greaves  hang  on  the  walls ; 
bucklers  and  breastplates  lie  in  heaps  with  tunics  and 
girdles  in  corners  ;  and  halberds,  sabres,  and  lances  are 
interlaced,  fanwise,  on  shields.  Knives  with  curved  han- 
dles of  a  sinister  aspect,  rapiers,  blades  of  Damascus  and 
Toledo,  and  poniards  in  cases  of  exquisite  workmanship, 
or  studded  with  precious  stones,  abound,  suggesting  un- 
pleasantly that  if  the  amiable  host,  or  the  dusky  servant 
of  unknown  nationality,  who  glides  about  perpetually  pol- 
ishing steel,  were  smitten  with  sudden  madness  and  deci- 
ded to  "  run  a  muck,"  in  the  Malay  mode,  it  might  go 
hard  with  the  inoffensive  visitor. 

An  inner  sanctuary  may  be  compared  to  a  Chamber  of 
Horrors.  Quaint  woodcuts  are  framed  on  the  walls,  de- 
picting early  Genoese  craft  engaged  in  battle,  whether 
drawn  up  in  a  circle  on  the  high  seas,  or  haunting  hostile 
shores  to  destroy  by  means  of  throwing  stones,  soap,  sand, 
and  the  dregs  of  oil  from  the  prow,  or  shooting  arrows. 
A  model  of  cork  stands  in  a  niche,  reproducing  the  wooden 
castles  as  machines  of  war,  for  the  construction  of  which 
Genoa  was  celebrated,  and  employed  in  the  sieges  of  Jeru- 
salem, as  well  as  purchased  by  the  Milanese  to  attack  Como 
in  the  twelfth  century.  Other  ingenious  designs  are  treas- 
ured here,  —  a  miniature  catapult  for  hurling  stones  before 
metal  artillery  was  invented  or  gunpowder  had  blown 
away  forever  the  knight  in  mail ;  billhooks,  and  arquebuses, 
and  a  Lilliputian  battering-ram.  The  host,  in  a  moment  of 
confidence,  displays  a  dilapidated  lance,  and  tests  the  point 
on  his  linger,  explaining  in  a  musing  tone  :  "  This  was 
taken  in  battle  with  the  Venetians,  and  I  have  reason  to 
believe  it  once  belonged  to  Marco  Polo." 


THE  VENETIAN  PRISONER.  201 

Venice  rises  on  her  brink  of  sea,  divided  from  Genoa  by 
intervening  mountains  and  plains,  and  gazes  at  her  own 
reflected   image,  soft   rose  tints  and  pearl   white,  in  the 

silent  lagoons.  Several  years  ago  a  scientific  exhibition 
was  held  here,  and  in  the  procession  of  gondolas  one  fairy 
craft  represented  Geography,  with  draperies  of  blue  silk, 
glittering  fringes,  a  silver  nymph  at  the  prow,  and  a  boy 
Btudying  a  globe  in  the  stern.  In  the  rooms  of  the  Exhi- 
bit ion  a  rude  and  grotesque  statue  created  much  amuse- 
ment. This  was  a  figure  seated  in  a  chair,  clad  in  Tartar 
costume,  with  one  foot  lifted,  as  if  about  to  walk,  and  was 
reputed  to  be  a  very  ancient  portrait  of  Marco  Polo. 

Rivalry  had  long  existed  between  Genoa  and  Venice,  and 
collisions  of  interest  were  frequent  at  Constantinople, 
Cyprus,  Candia,  Tunis,  and  in  Sicilian  waters,  with  ever 
increasing  irritation  on  the  part  of  the  adversaries.  Venice 
excelled  in  glass-making,  delicate  goldsmith's  work,  and 
the  magnificence  of  her  woven  stuffs,  lending  a  grace  and 
elegance  to  all  the  industries  she  undertook  which  was 
innate  in  her  people.  The  wood-carving  and  turning  of 
her  artisans  became  renowned  in  European  markets,  while 
she  is  said  to  have  furnished  the  purest  wax  known  to  all 
the  Catholic  world,  owing  to  the  salubrity  of  her  climate, 
or  the  absence  of  dust  on  her  islands. 

Tn  1295  taunts  were  exchanged  by  the  foes.  Genoa  sent 
word  to  Venice  that  if  pride  led  the  latter  to  seek  the 
former,  so  long  a  voyage  as  separated  the  two  cities  was 
unnecessary,  since  a  rendezvous  could  be  given  at  Sicily. 

In  1208  Lamba  Doria,  of  the  same  family  as  Ubcrto  who 
destroyed  the  Pisan  navy,  set  forth  for  the  Adriatic  with 
all  the  speed  of  sails  and  oars,  to  settle  existing  differences. 
The  Doge  sent  out  ninety-five  galleys  under  Andrea  Dan- 
dolo  to  meet  them.  Venice  staked  all  on  the  result,  as 
Pisa  had  done.  The  famous  Marco  Polo,  just  returned 
from  China,  without  leisure  as  yet  to  impart  to  Italy  his 


202  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

own  marvellous  adventures,  hastened  to  volunteer  his  ser- 
vices in  the  cause  of  country.  Dandolo  stationed  his  fleet 
near  Curzola  and  other  islands  of  the  gulf  toward  the 
coast  of  Dalmatia,  and  northwest  of  Ragusa,  to  await  the 
arrival  of  the  Genoese.  The  enemies  exchanged  messages, 
measured  each  other's  strength,  and  manoeuvred  to  gain 
some  advantage  of  position  in  attack,  forming  the  usual  lines 
and  circles.  The  signal  of  battle  given,  the  shock  was 
tremendous,  as  from  ship  to  ship  the  engines  hurled  stones, 
showers  of  arrows  flew,  and  the  grappling  hooks  caught  in 
the  gear.  A  strong  land-wind  blew,  and  the  Genoese 
availed  themselves  of  it  to  waft  clouds  of  pulverized  lime 
into  the  eyes  of  the  Venetians  from  the  castles  of  their 
decks.  There  could  have  been  no  doubt  of  the  fibre,  re- 
sources, and  skill  of  the  Genoese  that  day  in  the  struggle 
to  win.  They  kept  to  the  windward,  using  the  store  of 
plaster  to  create  confusion,  or  wheeled  about  to  attack 
weakened  flanks.  The  Venetians,  hard  pressed,  began  to 
yield ;  galleys  sank,  others  caught  fire,  and  still  more, 
crippled,  were  captured.  Victory  crowned  the  Genoese, 
as  in  the  disastrous  reverse  of  the  Pisans  at  Meloria. 
Consternation  reigned  at  Venice. 

The  Genoese  fleet  lost  no  time  in  departing  with  the 
prisoners.  Well  might  they  withdraw  with  prudent  speed, 
however  marked  the  present  success!  for  future  years  would 
reveal  all  there  was  to  fear  from  such  a  foe, —  as  when  the 
siege  of  Zeno  took  place  in  1380,  or  Pietro  Doria,  in  1379, 
pointed  out  Venice  to  his  men,  with  the  admonition  that 
the  gaze  of  Europe  and  the  East  was  on  them :  "  There 
in  the  recesses  of  those  stagnant  waters  are  hidden  in 
ambush  our  enemies.  There  behind  that  enclosure  of 
dykes  is  an  opulent  and  superb  city,  the  rival  of  Genoa." 

Genoa  exulted  in  a  day  of  great  triumph  over  the  return 
of  Lamba  Doria  as  destroyer  of  the  Venetian  fleet,  with 
many  prisoners,  and  the  Admiral  Andrea  Dandolo,  wounded 


THE  VENETIAN  PRISONER.  203 

and  silent,  chained  to  the  main-mast  of  his  vessel.  Ts  he 
ii.it  one  of  the  '.rreat  figures  of  history,  the  proud  captive, 
tli us  hound  ?  When  the  fleet  came  in  sight,  Genoa  hoisted 
all  her  banners,  the  bolls  rang,  and  the  shout  of  the  popu- 
lace was  responded  to  by  the  victors.  The  people  flocked 
from  the  streets  and  suburbs  to  the  border  of  the  sea, 
or  crowded  on  the  walls  and  roofs  to  witness  the  disem- 
barkation. The  haughty  Dandolo  could  not  brook  the 
spectacle  of  rejoicing,  and,  unarmed  as  he  was,  dragged 
himself  the  Length  of  his  chain,  and,  turning  back,  dashed 
out  his  brains  against  the  mast. 

Marco  Polo  became  an  inmate  of  the  prisons  of  Genoa, 
where  the  Pisans  captured  at  Meloria  had  languished  for 
many  years.  This  capture  and  incarceration  of  the  great 
traveller  so  near  home  reminds  one  of  the  member  of  the 
Alpine  Club  who  broke  his  ankle  leaping  a  ditch  in  Eng- 
land, or  Captain  Speke  killing  himself  by  dragging  a  gun 
carelessly  through  a  park  hedge.  Marco  Polo  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Messer  Rustichello,  an  educated  Pisan  and 
fellow-prisoner,  who  wrote  down  the  narration  of  the  Vene- 
tian's wanderings.  Does  not  the  romance  of  Marco  Polo's 
recital  still  linger  about  Genoa  ?  Will  not  new  generations 
of  all  races  ever  arise  to  attend  that  rich  banquet  given  at 
Venice  by  the  returned  merchants,  when  they  retired  to 
change  their  robes  for  more  sumptuous  raiment  of  damask 
silk  and  brocade  between  the  courses,  and  finally  cut  the 
coarse  garments  in  which  they  journeyed  for  heaps  of  gems 
to  fall  out  of  concealment  in  the  lining  before  the  eyes  of 
their  dazzled  guests  ? 

The  thread  of  Venetian  enterprise  was  varied.  The 
Venetian  Niccolo  di  Conti  travelled  to  Damascus  in  his 
prime,  learned  Arabic,  and  joined  a  caravan  of  six  hun- 
dred merchants  bound  for  Arabia  Petrea.  He  traversed 
the  deserts,  visited  Chaldea,  the  Euphrates,  and  ancient 
Babylon,  arriving  at  Ormutz  by  the   Gulf   of   Persia,  and 


204  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

Kambalec,  the  port  of  Persia.  Here  he  acquired  man}' 
tongues,  adopted  the  Persian  dress,  and,  entering  a  mari- 
time company  of  Moors,  voyaged  to  India  and  Camboge. 
He  found  the  Indian  towns  full  of  traffic  in  silk,  drugs, 
dyes,  and  gums,  while  the  resources  of  Malabar,  Coro- 
mandel,  and  Ceylon  were  familiar  to  him,  as  well  as  the 
canes  of  the  Ganges  used  for  boats.  He  penetrated  the 
mountains,  descended  the  river  Menan,  explored  the  king- 
dom of  Ava,  Pegu,  Cochin  China,  Java,  China,  Calcutta, 
Aden,  the  Straits  of  Babel  Mandel,  and  reached  the  Red 
Sea.     He  had  been  absent  for  twenty-five  years. 

Alvise  da  Ca-da-Mosto,  also  a  Venetian,  in  the  service  of 
the  Infante  of  Portugal,  passed  the  confines  of  the  Medi- 
terranean, and  touched  at  Cape  St.  Vincent.  He  took 
specimens  of  sugar,  wine,  and  cedar-wood  from  Madeira, 
already  colonized  by  Portugal.  Ca-da-Mosto  explored  the 
African  coast  for  eight  hundred  miles,  penetrated  the  in- 
terior, met  the  Arab  caravans  with  gold  dust,  slaves,  dates, 
barley,  and  camel's  milk  for  Morocco,  and  taking  copper, 
horses,  and  stuffs  to  Barbary  and  Senegal.  The  Vene- 
tian drank  palm  wine,  hunted  leopards  and  goats,  tracked 
the  elephants  in  the  woods,  collected  shells,  cotton,  and 
gold  dust,  and  caught  parrots  and  Guinea  fowls  to  fetch  to 
Europe,  where  they  had  been  much  prized  since  Lucullus 
gave  his  famous  suppers.  The  Moors  ate  the  honeycomb, 
esteemed  the  first  food  of  man  after  a  primary  diet  of  milk 
and  fruit.  The  Venetian  taught  them  to  preserve  the  wax. 
Ca-da-Mosto  again  put  to  sea,  and  is  reputed  to  have 
sighted  the  Cape-de-Verde  group,  as  well  as  to  have 
entered  the  Niger. 

The  travels  of  these  men  suggest  the  modern  pilgrim- 
ages of  Vambcry,  or  Sir  Richard  Burton.  Marco  Polo 
bore  off  the  palm  of  an  enduring  celebrity,  and  his  famous 
volume  of  personal  narrative  was  written  in  the  prison  of 
Genoa.      His   statements  were  doubted    as  exaggerations 


THE  VENETIAN  PRISONER.  205 

for  centuries  by  the  sceptical  element  of  the  community 
that  stays  at  home  and  criticizes  the  bold  exploits  of  more 
adventurous  spirits,  but  have  been  amply  confirmed. 

-•  Who  knows  it'  Marco  Polo  was  actually  kept  in  a  dark 
and  damp  prison  cell?"  muses  Alcaeus,  as  he  replaces  the 
lance. 

Blessed  is  the  man  with  a  hobby  ! 

Down  in  the  street  of  the  goldsmiths  the  chains  and 
flowers  of  frosted  filigree  sparkle,  and  the  old  artisan 
places  a  tiny  Crusader  on  the  last  spoon.  Saint  Eloy  of 
Noyon,  goldsmith  of  Limoges,  was  the  patron  of  all  workers 
in  metals,  and  wrought  shrines  and  holy  vessels  for  the 
churches.  When  he  made  a  throne  for  the  French  king 
he  said, — 

"  Let  it  be  a  ladder  leading  to  Heaven." 

A  ray  of  sunshine  quivers  on  the  shop  windows ;  pos- 
sibly the  beam  is  Saint  Eloy's  celestial  ladder  for  the 
street. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


THE    FIEST   DOGE. 


THE  Church  of  San  Siro  reveals  all  its  scars  and 
wrinkles  of  old  age  in  the  hard,  bright  light  of  day. 
The  bells  of  the  tower  are  mute,  and  a  half-paralyzed 
mendicant,  with  white  hair  and  parchment  skin,  is  seated 
beside  the  main  portal  to  beg  an  alms.  The  place,  in  asso- 
ciation, belongs  to  decrepitude  and  decay.  San  Siro  is  the 
most  ancient  church-foundation  of  Genoa,  and  was  the 
scene  of  the  most  momentous  events  in  her  history.  In 
904  it  was  the  cathedral  of  the  town,  known  as  the  Basilica 
of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  and  later  was  placed  under  the 
especial  patronage  of  Saint  Cyrus.  Assemblies  of  the  peo- 
ple, often  animated  and  even  tumultuous,  were  held  within 
the  walls.  In  1339  Simone  Boccanegra  was  created  the  first 
Doge  here,  as  marking  another  crisis  of  revolution  for  the 
Commonwealth,  in  which  the  government  was  transferred 
from  the  nobles  to  the  people. 

The  events  narrated  in  the  stem  of  growth  of  the  Sea 
City  are  so  closely  interwoven  that  they  become  one.  The 
poison  draught  quaffed  by  mankind  of  the  juice  of  the 
Marcmma  plant,  the  Royal  Asphodel,  Frederic  II.,  was  to 
increase  dissension  between  Guelph  and  Ghibelline,  if  not 
actually  creating  hostility.  Victory  crowned  the  arms  of 
Genoa  in  the  two  encounters  with  Pisa  and  Venice,  engen- 
dered by  these  political  feuds,  and  yet  she  was  torn,  well- 
nigh  ruined,  by  disastrous  quarrels  on  the  part  of  her 
citizens  at  the  same  time.     That  august  couple,  the  Ger- 


Doria  Palace. 


^■Ilf 


THE   FIKST   DOGE.  207 

man  Emperor  Henry  VII.  and  his  consort,  visiting  Italy  as 
peacemakers  to  a  certain  extent,  had  both  died,  the  empress 
:  and  the  emperor,  crowned  in  the  Church  of  St.  Peter 
and  St.  Paul  at  Rome,  as  well  as  collecting  an  army  in 
Genoa  and  Pisa  to  punish  King  Robert  of  Naples,  together 
with  other  rebels,  Bmitten  with  the  terzian  fever,  expired, 
and  was  buried  in  the  Pisan  cathedral,  <>n  the  -4th  of  August, 
1316.  Robert  of  Naples  thus  remained  the  most  powerful 
Borereign  in  Italy,  and  in  alliance  with  the  Guelph  party. 
The  Ghibelline  faction  was  sufficiently  formidable,  number- 
ing in  its  ranks  Matteo  Visconti,  Can  Grande  della  Scala, 
Passerino  Bonacossi,  lord  of  Mantua,  Castruccio  Castra- 
cane  of  Lucca,  Frederic  of  Montefeltro,  and  the  Duke  of 
Drbino  of  Spoleto  and  the  marches  of  Ancona. 

The  year  1317  found  Genoa  ruled  by  the  Dorias  and 
Spinolas  (Ghibelline),  and  the  Grimaldi  and  Fieschi 
(Guelph)  in  exile.  These  families  had  become  rich  and 
powerful,  owning-  vast  fiefs  on  both  Rivieras  and  many 
strong  castles  in  the  hills,  and  their  ambition  and  arro- 
gance increased  with  their  wealth.  Jealousy  of  each  other 
sprang  up  between  the  Doria  and  Spinola,  resulting  in  an 
open  riot  at  Rapallo,  when  the  former  called  the  exiled 
Guelphs,  the  Fieschi  and  the  Grimaldi,  to  their  aid,  and 
drove  the  Spinola  out  of  the  city,  after  a  conflict  of  twenty- 
four  days.  The  restored  Guelphs,  evidently  more  sus- 
picious than  reassured  by  the  magnanimity  shown  them  by 
their  enemies,  pardoned  the  Spinola,  whereupon  the  Doria 
quitted  the  town.  Later  the  Spinola,  also  distrustful, 
departed.  The  Fieschi  and  Grimaldi  were  left  to  govern 
their  fellow-citizens  in  their  own  fashion.  Lo !  once  outside 
of  the  walls  the  Doria  and  Spinola  became  reconciled,  and 
wished  to  regain  the  power  thrown  away.  Companions  in 
misfortune,  they  fortified  Savona.  The  Ghibellines  of  the 
mountains  of  Liguria  espoused  their  cause,  while  Can 
Grande  of   Verona    and  the  Visconti  of    Milan    promised 


208  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

aid  in  the  recovery  of  their  rights.  In  1318  Marco  Visconti 
marched  to  besiege  Genoa,  while  a  fleet  gathered  at  Savona 
to  aid  in  the  attack.  The  Fieschi  and  Grimaldi,  fearing 
that  all  Italy  was  about  to  unite  to  annihilate  them, 
appealed  to  King  Robert  of  Naples  in  their  extremity. 
The  response  was  characteristic  of  the  age.  King  Robert 
came  to  Genoa,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  two  brothers, 
with  twenty-five  galleys,  and  landed  with  an  escort  of 
twelve  hundred  soldiers.  Genoa  was  puzzled  whether  to 
be  honored  or  terrified  by  this  gracious  interest  in  her 
affairs. 

Here  is  a  remarkable  scene  for  the  historian  or  the 
painter  :  Castruccio  Castracane  of  Lucca,  Marco  Visconti, 
the  Marquis  of  Monteferrato,  Pisan  forces,  and  even  a  con- 
tingent of  troops  sent  by  the  Emperor  of  Constantinople, 
gathered  to  besiege  Genoa;  and  King  Robert  within  the 
walls,  supported  by  the  Florentines,  Bolognese,  and  the 
Guelphs  of  the  Romagna.  The  situation  became  desperate. 
At  the  expiration  of  ten  months  the  king,  thus  pent  up 
with  a  large  force,  comparatively  inactive,  sent  a  corps  of 
eight  hundred  horse  and  fifteen  thousand  infantry  to  Sestri 
Ponente  to  cut  off  communication  with  Savona,  thereby 
compelling  Marco  Visconti  to  raise  the  siege,  and  retreat, 
abandoning  his  baggage.  King  Robert  did  not  venture  to 
pursue  him  in  the  gorges  of  the  Apennines.  He  com- 
manded the  Guelphs  to  destroy  the  country  property  of 
the  Ghibellines,  after  which  the  relics  of  Saint  John  the 
Baptist  were  borne  forth  from  San  Lorenzo,  with  chanting 
of  rejoicing  over  the  victory.  The  Neapolitan  then  de- 
parted from  Liguria  for  Provence.  The  Doria  and  Spinola 
struggled  to  regain  their  place  in  Genoa  for  four  years,  and 
the  great  Ghibelline  leaders  did  not  again  encamp  before 
the  walls  of  the  Sea  City,  having  other  dissensions  of  their 
own  to  adjust.  The  civil  battle  raged  on  both  shores,  and 
in  the  colonics  of  distant  seas.    The  walls  of  the  old  Church 


THE   FIRST   DOGE.  209 

of  San  Siro  tell  no  tales.     In  1331  Gerardo  Spinola,  in  a 
letter  to  Salagro  di  Negro,  laments :  — 

"Oh,  how  many  are  impoverished  by  this  war !  How  many 
young  men  have  left  the  path  of  virtue  for  a  career  of  robbery 
and  roguery  !  How  many  marriages  will  not  take  place  such 
as  would  have  peopled  the  territory  with  worthy  offspring ! 
How  many  matrons  and  maidens  previously  held  in  respect  by 
the  community  are  constrained  to  fall !  " 

The  town  was  the  theatre  of  perpetual  discord ;  brawls 
occurred  in  the  streets,  house  fought  with  house,  and  missiles 
were  showered  from  tower  to  tower.  Brothers  slew  broth- 
ers, nephews  were  arrayed  against  uncles,  cousin  trampled 
down  cousin,  and  the  father-in-law  opposed  the  son.  The 
pavement  was  littered  with  lances,  crossbows,  and  shields. 
The  Church  of  San  Siro  is  silent,  now,  as  to  those  days  of 
horror  when  the  tumult  raged  around  the  Piazza  up  to 
the  height  of  San  Francesco,  the  Porta  nuova,  and  the 
Fonteamorosa,  the  wise  striving  in  vain  to  pacify  the 
combatants. 

In  1338  Philip  de  Valois  of  France,  who  was  at  war 
with  England,  took  into  his  service  twenty  galleys  manned 
by  the  Ghibellines  of  Genoa.  These  vessels  were  sent  into 
French  waters  under  the  command  of  Antonio  Doria,  and 
the  Genoese  sailors  complained  of  not  receiving  their  pay 
from  this  admiral.  A  mutiny  resulted,  in  which  Doria  and 
his  captains  were  driven  off,  and  the  crew  elected  new 
officers.  This  high-handed  measure  incensed  the  French 
king,  who  decided  in  favor  of  the  ejected  admiral,  and  cast 
into  prison  Pietro  Capurro  of  Voltaggio,  the  ring-leader, 
with  fifteen  of  his  companions.  Order  was  re-established 
on  the  fleet ;  but  a  number  of  mariners  left  it  and  returned 
to  Genoa,  where  their  fellow-citizens  already  cherished  so 
many  grievances  against  the  aristocratic  Doria,  Spinola, 
Fieschi,  and  Grimaldi.     For  seventy  years  these  four  great 

14 


210  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

families  had  shaken  the  Republic  by  their  disputes.  Now 
fugitives  and  again  rulers,  they  oppressed  the  rest  of  the 
nobles,  as  well  as  the  people.  They  were  suspected  of  the 
attempt  to  place  Genoa  under  an  hereditary  oligarchy,  and 
took  to  themselves  all  honorable  functions  of  office  in  town 
and  country,  as  well  as  the  fleet  and  the  army. 

The  inhabitants  of  Voltaggio  first  took  up  arms  to  avenge 
Pietro  Capurro,  chief  of  the  mutineers  of  the  fleet  in 
France.  Their  example  was  followed  by  the  dwellers  in 
Polcevera  and  Bisagno,  and  finally  by  Savona,  where  the 
citizens  met  in  the  Church  of  San  Domenico,  and  one  of 
the  leaders  ascended  into  a  pulpit,  and,  recalling  the 
oppressive  pride  of  the  nobility,  incited  all  to  shake  off  the 
yoke.  He  exclaimed :  "  The  arrogance  of  these  nobles  is 
so  great  that  they  are  indignant  if  the  people  claim  any 
rights,  which  our  laws  guarantee  them.  He  who  dares  to 
raise  his  eyes  to  them,  and  who,  remembering  that  he  is  a 
Genoese,  invokes  liberty,  is  dragged  to  prison,  or  punished 
with  death  as  a  rebel."  He  exhorted  his  hearers  to  assert 
their  rights  at  last. 

The  people  of  Savona,  roused  by  the  eloquence  of  indig- 
nation, laid  siege  to  the  Pretoria,  where  Edoardo  Doria,  as 
governor,  had  taken  refuge  with  the  magistrates,  and  after 
obliging  them  to  surrender,  imprisoned  them  in  the  fortress 
of  Santa  Maria.  Two  plebeians  were  then  appointed  as 
captains  of  the  people,  and  formed  a  council  composed  of 
twenty  sailors.  They  marched  on  Genoa,  where  all  was 
ripe  for  sedition.  The  Republic  had  been  governed  by  two 
captains  of  the  Ghibelline  party,  a  Doria  and  a  Spinola, 
and  they  had  despoiled,  or  deprived  the  people  of  the  elec- 
tion of  their  abbot,  a  magistrate  who  was  especially  charged 
with  the  protection  and  defence  of  the  plebeians,  like  the 
Tribunes  of  Rome.  The  discontented  populace  of  Genoa, 
when  the  insurgents  of  Savona  came  to  their  aid,  demanded 
to  be  given  back  the  right  of  themselves  electing  the  mag- 


THE  FIRST  DOGE.  211 

Istrate  of  the  people,  and  the  justice  of  this  request  was  at 
once  recognized  by  the  government.  Twenty  plebeians 
selected  by  their  fellow-citizens  to  elect  the  abbot  assem- 
bled on  the  23d  of  September,  1339,  when  an  unknown 
man,  raising  his  voice,  proposed  to  confer  the  vacant  post 
on  Simone  Boccanegra,  who  united  great  prudence  to  well- 
tried  courage.  The  name  was  caught  up  with  enthusiasm. 
Boccanegra  demurred,  but  was  forced  to  take  his  seat 
between  two  captains,  and  the  sword  of  empire  was  placed 
in  his  hand.  When  he  could  make  himself  heard,  he  cried  : 
"  I  feel,  citizens,  all  the  gratitude  which  such  zeal  and  good- 
will merit;  but  the  title  you  confer  on  me  having  never 
been  in  my  family,  I  do  not  wish  to  be  the  first  to  bear  it. 
I  pray  you  to  accord  the  honor  to  another  more  worthy  to 
hold  the  office." 

The  citizens  realized  that  the  title  of  abbot  of  the  people 
could  only  belong  to  a  plebeian,  while  Boccanegra  counted  a 
captain  among  his  ancestors. 

"  Be  our  Seigneur,  our  Doge  !  "  they  clamored. 

The  captains  of  the  people  feared  a  tumult,  urged  Boc- 
canegra to  accept  his  election,  reminding  him  that  Venice, 
a  free  State  like  Genoa,  had  a  Doge.     He  consented. 

In  the  Church  of  San  Siro  the  first  Doge  of  Genoa  was 
created,  and  launched  on  the  stormy  sea  of  a  difficult 
career.  Genoa  had  been  forced  to  listen  to  the  voice  of  the 
people,  that  mighty  undertone  of  the  sea  of  life  to  which 
all  governments,  sooner  or  later,  must  lend  ear. 


THE    FLOWER. 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

DAUGHTERS    OP    GENOA. 

IN  ancient  sculpture  the  blending  of  beautiful  forms  in 
art  led  the  builders  to  reproduce  the  semblance  of 
woman's  tresses  in  the  rippling  crests  of  certain  marble 
columns  of  temples.  The  lives  of  the  daughters  of  the 
race  thus  embellished  the  temple  of  Genoese  life  through 
the  development  of  centuries.  The  fate  of  woman  was 
often  terrible  in  violence,  suffering,  and  disgrace  during 
siege,  famine,  and  the  conflicts  of  internal  revolution  which 
trampled  her  in  the  dust  with  the  fall  of  her  kindred ;  but 
she  enjoyed  a  brilliant  phase  of  existence  as  well. 

On  a  morning  of  May  the  young  Ida  rinses  the  house- 
hold linen  at  the  public  wash-tank  beneath  the  arched  vault 
of  wall,  singing  and  gossiping  with  other  women  as  she 
works.  Belonging  to  the  people,  she  will  marry  the  stal- 
wart mason,  Francesco,  aged  twenty  years,  in  the  summer, 
and  the  couple  between  them  have  scraped  together  suffi- 
cient money  to  buy  a  bureau,  a  bed,  and  a  kitchen  utensil  or 
two.  The  good  God  will  take  care  of  the  rest.  A  carriage 
with  rich  liveries  drives  out  of  the  gate  of  an  adjacent 
palace.  The  duke  is  accompanying  his  only  child  and 
heiress  to  the  municipality  for  the  civil  contract  of  mar- 
riage. The  trousseau  was  made  in  Paris,  the  furs  came 
from  Russia,  the  jewels  of  the  bride  are  magnificent. 
Young  Ida  washing  at  the  tank  knows  all  about  the  matter, 


DAUGHTERS  OF  GENOA.  213 

and  chirps  like  a  bird,  without  a  thought  of  envy.  Both 
are  modern  daughters  of  Genoa. 

Does  the  world  change  ?  In  1490,  Giovanni  Adorno 
married  Leonora  di  Sanseverino.  The  ceremony  was  per- 
formed with  much  pomp.  The  bridegroom  was  given  by 
the  Senate  silver  vases  made  by  the  different  guilds  of  the 
city,  one  design  representing  the  earth,  and  a  second  the 
Riviera.  There  were  games  and  other  sports  for  the  peo- 
ple on  the  Piazza  Sarzana,  and  wedding  festivities  in  the 
palace. 

Genoa  bloomed  into  the  opulence  and  luxury  that  char- 
acterized the  prime  of  each  of  the  Italian  republics.  The 
citizens  built  sumptuous  palaces,  lofty  towers,  loggie,  as  the 
open  air  drawing-rooms  of  the  family,  and  country  houses 
at  Nervi,  Sesto,  Pontedecimo,  and  in  the  valleys  of  Polce- 
vera  and  Bisagno,  surrounded  by  lovely  gardens.  They  had 
their  quarter,  as  powerful  citizens,  consisting  of  a  group  of 
dwellings  called  "  un  albergo  "  to  the  date  of  1528,  which 
gave  the  name  to  an  adjoining  street,  or  square,  and  laws 
of  the  family  resembling  those  of  the  "  Genos  "  of  Athens. 
All  household  furniture  became  more  costly  ;  silver  utensils 
abounded ;  the  peacock,  in  his  plumage,  burning  perfumes 
in  his  beak,  adorned  the  table,  amidst  the  fish,  rare  game, 
spiced  dishes,  and  eastern  wines  served  at  the  domestic 
board.  It  was  the  age  of  silk,  meaning  the  spendthrift  ex- 
travagance preceding  bankruptcy.  Genoa  was  not  proof 
against  the  subtle  intoxication  of  the  time.  The  Romans 
imagined  that  the  first  silk  they  beheld  was  woven  of  the 
petals  of  flowers,  or  the  lustrous  texture  of  leaves.  The 
Byzantine  emperor  Justinian  brought  the  art  from  Asia, 
and  the  satiny  woof  was  fabricated  at  Athens  and  Corinth. 
King  Roger  of  Sicily  in  1150  returned  to  his  own  domin- 
ions so  dazzled  by  Greek  skill  that  he  transplanted  the 
craft  to  Palermo.  In  turn  Lucca,  Almeria,  and  other 
towns  unravelled  the  skein  of  rainbow-tinted  threads,  until 


214  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

Venice,  with  the  aid  of  those  workmen  who  had  fled  from 
the  tyranny  of  Castruccio  Castracane,  wrought  the  flowers, 
imparted  the  sheen  of  precious  stones,  and  traced  the 
arabesque  patterns  for  which  her  looms  became  famous. 
Thus  King  Roger,  having  devasted  the  Morca,  brought  the 
precious  secret  of  silk  to  Italy,  where  in  a  favorable  climate 
the  worms  and  their  food,  the  mulberry  tree,  flourished  to 
the  extent  of  the  rude  natives  of  mountain  districts  learn- 
ing to  weave  silk  mingled  with  threads  of  gold  and  silver. 
Boccaccio  states  that  the  usual  dress  of  the  Genoese  was 
silk.  In  old  pictures  the  citizens  wear  a  long  tunic  with 
stiff  folds,  red  in  color  for  high  authorities,  such  as  doge, 
captain,  magistrates,  and  the  podesta,  and  black  for  others. 
The  first  rank  of  citizens  had  under-garments,  often  em- 
broidered with  gold,  reaching  to  the  knee ;  a  cap  red  or 
black,  according  to  the  grade;  stockings  finely  wrought; 
shoes  in  the  shape  of  slippers,  but  laced  ;  a  mantle  of  various 
tints  for  ceremony  over  the  tunic,  which  supported  a  short 
vest,  and  corselet,  whether  fashioned  for  shore  or  sea.  The 
attire  of  women  receives  small  mention  in  early  times, 
and  seems  to  have  been  chiefly  black.  Under  the  rule  of 
the  Doge  Tommaso  Fregoso,  in  1415,  a  poet  of  Asti  cele- 
brated the  splendor  of  Genoa  in  Latin  verse.  He  described 
a  Sunday  in  the  Sea  City  when  the  men  appeared  like 
Roman  senators  attired  in  purple  robes,  the  women  re- 
sembled Venus  in  their  jewelled  girdles,  and  the  girls 
smiled  on  their  balconies.  The  life  of  these  people  repre- 
sented a  volatile  gayety.  In  the  winter  and  spring  they 
danced  at  balls  continually,  and  their  shoes  were  made  of 
silk,  embroidered  with  pearls,  for  these  revelries.  In 
summer  the  entire  populace  flocked  into  the  country,  seek- 
ing the  hills  or  the  seaside.  The  poor  also  followed, 
begging  for  alms  among  the  vineyards. 

Genoa  acted  the  host  to  great  guests  with  that  urbanity  and 
superb  hospitality  which  was  so  remarkable  in  the  Italian 


DAUGHTERS  OF  GENOA.  215 

cities.  The  Crown  Princess  of  Sweden  arrives  at  Genoa  to 
embark  for  Egypt.  How  vividly  the  past  recurs  in  the  modern 
incident !  In  the  month  of  October,  1311,  the  German  em- 
peror Henry  VII.  visited  Genoa,  accompanied  by  his  empress 
Margaret,  and  four  cardinals.  The  clergy  and  people  went 
to  receive  them  at  the  Porta  San  Lazzaro,  holding  a  canopy 
of  cloth-of-gold  and  silk,  and  attired  in  vestments  of  ver- 
milion and  citron  color.  The  emperor  was  escorted  by 
Opizzino  Spinola,  and  was  lodged  in  the  Palace  of  the 
Republic,  while  the  court  occupied  the  monastery  of  St. 
Dominick.  Henry  used  his  influence  to  make  peace  be- 
tween the  Doria  and  Spinola,  and  the  Guelph  and  Ghibelline 
factions.  Genoa  elected  him  her  lord  for  the  term  of 
twenty  years,  and  the  oath  of  fidelity  was  sworn  at  the 
door  of  the  Church  of  San  Salvatore,  on  the  Piazza  Sarzana. 
Ugocione  di  Fasciola  of  Arezzo  was  appointed  vicar  of  the 
Imperial  rule.  The  Doria  wished  to  bear  the  insignia  of 
the  emperor,  some  branches  of  the  race  having  previously 
had  a  lion  on  their  arms  and  others  a  tower,  and  for  dis- 
tinction half  of  the  field  of  the  Imperial  Eagle  was  painted 
white.  Opizzino  Spinola  was  a  type  of  the  silken  age.  He 
was  esteemed  the  richest  Italian  of  his  time,  having  in- 
herited from  extinct  families  much  property  in  the  Val  di 
Scrivia.  His  palace  was  the  most  spacious  in  Genoa, 
decorated  with  statues  on  the  exterior,  and  furnished  lux- 
uriously within.  As  head  of  the  Ghibelline  party  he 
entertained  with  royal  expenditure. 

In  September,  1344,  the  Dauphin  of  Vienna,  with  his 
wife,  mother,  many  barons,  and  noble  matrons,  came  with 
five  galleys  and  a  ship  to  Genoa,  on  their  way  to  Jerusalem, 
and  were  honorably  entertained.  In  May,  1367,  Urban  V., 
voyaging  from  Avignon  to  Rome  with  twenty-five  galleys, 
paused  at  Genoa,  and  gave  the  town  the  apostolic  benedic- 
tion. In  1383  the  King  of  Cyprus,  Jacopo  Lusignano,  and 
his  queen  paid  a  visit  to  Genoa,  and  were  received  by  the 


216  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

Doge  with  games  and  spectacles,  the  most  beautiful  women 
of  the  city  being  richly  adorned  for  the  occasion.  In  1403 
the  Greek  emperor,  Emanuel  Paleologus,  who  had  sought 
protection  in  Europe  from  the  Turk  Bajazet,  entered  Genoa 
from  Lombard)-,  was  welcomed  by  the  governor  and  the 
people,  and  escorted  under  a  gold  awning,  the  citizens 
carrying  the  poles  being  dressed  in  purple  or  crimson.  On 
the  last  day  of  January  an  entertainment  was  given  in 
the  large  sola  of  the  ducal  palace,  with  the  flower  of  the 
nobility  present.  The  city  further  evinced  her  zeal  by  an 
advance  of  three  thousand  florins,  and  the  aiming  of  three 
galleys  in  his  behalf.  In  1416,  the  Doge  Toinmaso  di 
Fregoso  welcomed  Oddo  Lusignano,  brother  of  the  King  of 
Cyprus,  with  a  banquet,  after  which  eight  hundred  ladies 
in  silk,  pearls,  and  jewels,  with  the  youth  of  the  town, 
received  him  in  the  great  hall,  and  remained  until  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning. 

In  1405,  when  Leverotto  dei  Ferreti  of  Ancona  was 
podesta,  Pope  Benedict  XIII.  came  to  Genoa,  six  galleys 
having  been  sent  to  Nice  to  meet  him,  and  a  bridge  built 
to  the  principal  entrance  of  the  city.  The  archbishop  and 
the  clergy,  carrying  the  relics  of  the  churches,  awaited  him 
at  the  steps,  followed  by  two  hundred  and  sixty  citizens 
clad  in  scarlet.  The  cardinals  crossed  the  bridge,  and 
mounted  horses  covered  with  velvet,  after  which  the  Cor- 
pus Domine  was  placed  on  a  mule,  richly  caparisoned  and 
surrounded  by  twelve  dignitaries  with  tapers.  Benedict 
XIII.  rode  a  white  palfrey,  with  the  governor  and  the 
podesta  holding  the  reins.  The  procession  was  closed  by 
fifty  councillors,  wearing  white  togas.  The  Pope  passed 
by  the  Piazza  Lunga  to  San  Lorenzo  and  San  Siro  to  the 
monastery  of  San  Francesco. 

The  daughters  of  Genoa  shared  these  civic  pageants,  and 
began  to  be  accused  of  absorbing  the  wealth  of  the  family 
and  the  nation  in  folly  and  vanity,  like  their  fair  and  frivo- 


DAUGHTERS  OF  GENOA.  217 

lous  sisters  of  other  towns.  The  women  of  Milan  revelled 
in  cloth-of-gold  and  silk,  with  gems  on  their  breast,  girdles 
set  with  pearls  and  having  fringes  of  gold,  their  hair  ar- 
ranged in  eccentric  coiffures  ;  the  Pisans  had  rich  draper- 
ies, and  crowns  of  massive  silver  and  gold,  with  a  profusion 
of  pearls  on  the  head,  zone,  and  robe ;  the  Paduans  and 
the  Lombards  decked  themselves  in  splendid  raiment  of 
gold,  silver,  and  flowered  brocade  bordered  with  ermine  ; 
the  Florentines  boasted  of  their  store  of  garlands,  chains, 
and  buttons ;  and  Sicilian  dames  rode  their  steeds  pomp- 
ously, with  jewelled  mantles,  spurs,  embossed  bridles,  and 
staff  of  precious  metals.  Of  all  these  mediaeval  ladies 
it  might  be  said,  like  Hecuba, — 

"  She  to  her  fragrant  wardrobe  bent  her  way, 
Where  her  rich  veils  in  beauteous  order  lay, 
Webs  by  Sidonian  virgins  finely  wrought." 

The  sin  was  imputed  to  the  Genoese  of  casting  aside  habi- 
liments of  modest  wool  in  favor  of  enveloping  themselves 
with  purple  stuffs,  golden  tissues,  and  fabrics  interwoven 
with  rich  gems.  Then  mankind  began  to  frown  in  dis- 
approval of  the  milliner's  bills.  The  wise  rulers  of  Modena 
issued  this  fiat :  — 

"No  woman,  whether  matron  or  maiden,  shall  wear  a  gown 
in  the  house  or  the  street  with  a  train  of  more  than  a  braccia 
(half  a  metre)  in  length,  and  no  wreath  of  pearls,  gold,  and 
silver,  and  no  jacket  or  tunic  wrought  with  jewels." 

Florence  sternly  ordained  :  — 

"  No  woman  may  wear  a  crown,  or  a  garland  of  gold,  silver, 
and  pearls,  no  net,  no  lace,  no  dress  embroidered,  no  fringes 
of  gold  and  gems,  not  more  than  two  rings  od  the  finger,  or 
twelve  clasps  to  the  girdle,  and  the  train  not  to  exceed  two 
braccia  on  the  ground.'' 


218  GENOA  THE   SUPERU. 

The  head  of  the  Pisan  Republic  on  taking  office 
affirmed  :  — 

'*  I  swear  on  the  Holy  Evangelist  to  not  permit  any  Pisan 
woman  to  wear  crown  or  garland,  and  no  pearls  except  in 
rings,  nor  jewelry  weighing  more  than  one  pouud  and  a  half, 
whether  gilded  or  of  silver.  I  will  allow  no  woman  to  drag  her 
tunic  through  the  town  of  a  greater  length  than  a  braccia  and 
a  half.  I  hold  ollicially  that  the  husbands  of  all  extravagant 
wives  shall  be  declared  to  have  violated  the  law,  and  pay  a  fine 
out  of  the  wife's  dowry.  Also  all  tailors  and  people  that  cut 
these  robes  to  sweep  the  ground  more  than  a  braccia  and  a 
half  shall  incur  a  penalty.  The  podesta  and  council  deter- 
mine that  at  the  expiration  of  a  year  the  archbishop  shall  be 
requested  to  excommunicate  the  women  who  disobey  these 
orders.  Women  may  not  wear  delicate  tissues,  fringes,  belts, 
or  gemmed  collars,  —  solely  buttons  of  silver  or  amber  to 
fasten  their  garments.  If  I  do  not  effect  these  reforms  I  will 
forfeit  two  hundred  gold  lire  of  my  salary." 

The  earnestness  of  the  Podesta  of  Pisa  was  exceeded  by 
the  Eastern  emir  of  crabbed  renown.  In  1390  the  women 
of  Cairo  were  so  fond  of  Venetian  fabrics  that  they  draped 
themselves  in  folds  of  the  new  stuffs  to  the  amount  of 
eighty-four  braccia  a  garment.  The  lower  classes  rivalled 
king's  daughters  in  the  display  of  finery.  In  the  absence 
of  the  sultan,  the  Emir  Cumash-Boga,  enjoying  a  little  brief 
authority,  was  so  wroth  with  the  folly  of  the  times  that  he 
ordered  the  trains  exceeding  a  prescribed  length  summar- 
ily cut  off  in  the  street,  or  the  bazaar.  The  indignation  of 
the  fair  sex  must  be  inferred  to  have  been  both  loud  and 
deep,  for  after  the  sultan's  return  the  emir  dared  not 
meddle  further,  and  the  clothing  became  longer  and  more 
voluminous  than  ever.  Did  the  wise  fathers  of  Genoa  and 
Venice  preach  reform  ?  Did  the  culprits  tremble  in  their 
flowered  brocades,  chains,  and  garlands  ?  Surely  the  men 
had  set  an  evil  example  to  these  weaker  vessels,  like  the 


DAUGHTERS  OF   GENOA.  219 

male  bird,  spreading  silky  plumage  in  the  sunshine,  in 
their  mantles  and  tunics  of  state.  When  Margaret  of  Eng- 
land married  Charles  of  Burgundy  in  1468,  at  Bruges,  the 
Genoese  merchants  walked  in  the  wedding  procession  to 
the  number  of  one  hundred,  clad  alike  in  violet  velvet,  and 
wearing  emblems  of  Saint  George. 

Modern  moralists  and  satirists  occasionally  protest 
against  the  lavish  feminine  expenditure  of  their  house- 
hold ;  but,  as  a  rule,  they  have  given  up  the  unequal  con- 
test to  turn  their  attention  to  politics,  public  questions 
of  finance,  new  railways,  and  the  development  of  elec- 
tricity. Mankind  is  attired  sorrowfully  in  black,,  or,  like 
the  furry  caterpillar,  in  raiment  of  rough  cloth,  fawn  or 
pinkish  in  tint.  We  read  in  a  daily  journal :  "  The 
Princess  of  Wales  wore  a  gold  gown,  trimmed  with  gold 
fringe  and  lace,  the  train  draped  with  gold-spangled 
tulle ;  corsage  to  correspond.  Ornaments,  pearls  and 
diamonds." 

The  daughters  of  Genoa  were  but  daughters  of  Eve  the 
world  over ;  but  they  have  an  especial  charm  of  splendor 
in  retrospection,  like  a  picture  by  Paul  Veronese,  as  shar- 
ing in  civic  pageants  and  adorning  their  city.  They  were 
the  columns  of  the  temple  of  public  and  private  life. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


SAINT    GEORGE. 


THE  child  climbs  on  a  chair,  reaches  the  shelf,  and 
drops  a  small  silver  coin  into  the  aperture  in  the 
roof  of  the  money-box,  while  the  smiling  mother,  with  a 
group  of  other  small,  curly  heads  gathered  about  her  knee, 
watches  the  accomplishment  of  the  feat  from  a  doorway 
partially  screened  by  a  partition  covered  with  Cordova 
leather. 

"  Good  !  "  the  artist  exclaims,  without  ceasing  to  wield 
his  brush  on  the  design  for  a  large  wall  fresco  which  he  is 
completing.  "  The  money-box  is  the  bank  of  St.  George, 
and  our  boy,  whose  name  is  Giorgio,  saves  his  pence  for  the 
yearly  fest a  of  the  Greek  martyr." 

The  little  Giorgio  nods  triumphantly,  and  runs  back  to 
his  mother. 

The  studio  is  a  vast  apartment  in  one  of  the  suburbs 
bordering  the  sea,  with  a  north  light  coldly  penetrating  the 
high  windows.  The  artist  is  a  quiet  and  modest  man,  with 
worn  features,  sallow  skin,  and  bushy  gray  brows  meeting 
over  piercing  eyes.  In  frugality  and  sobriety  of  life  he 
seems  to  subsist  on  a  piece  of  bread,  eaten  with  the  fine 
Genoese  artichokes  raw,  and  a  tuft  of  fennel  (fi?iocchio), 
dipped  in  oil  and  vinegar.  He  is  a  son  of  Genoa,  and  has 
won  an  honorable  fame  by  his  talents  and  industry,  in  the 
modern  school  of  Italian  art.  Already  the  Sea  City  and 
Liguria  bloom  with  his  work,  the  Hours  dancing  across  the 
ceilings  of  theatres  amidst  rosy  clouds,  and  the  altars  of 


SAINT  GEORGE.  221 

churches  adorned  with  small  pictures  of  sacred  art  of 
exquisite  minuteness  of  finish.  He  reminds  the  observer 
of  Donatello  in  the  breadth  of  his  scope  of  treatment  from 
the  coarsely  effective  draperies  of  the  statue  of  II  Zuccone 
in  the  niche  of  the  Florentine  Campanile  of  Giotto  to  the 
low  relief  of  Saint  Cecilia.  The  Genoese  painter  excels  in 
fresco,  and  in  the  rapidity  and  security  of  his  execution 
in  tempera.  He  is  ever  accessible  to  the  world  of  visitors, 
with  a  courtesy  and  untiring  patience  at  interruption  and 
mere  thoughtless  intrusion  on  valuable  time  worthy  of 
imitation  by  restive  humanity.  At  present  he  is  engaged 
in  decorating  the  large  sala  of  a  new  mansion  on  the  hill 
above  the  public  gardens,  built  by  a  Genoese  millionnaire 
returned  from  South  America  to  enjoy  his  wealth  in  his 
native  city. 

The  artist  shows  his  sketches.  He  has  seen  fit  to 
delineate  money,  as  mineral  wealth  in  some  form,  for  this 
sumptuous  abode  of  Mammon.  The  ceiling  will  depict 
Columbus  inspecting  the  gold  ornaments  worn  by  the 
American  Indians,  with  much  richness  of  detail  in  the 
warm,  golden  tones  of  the  tropical  scene,  and  solid  model- 
ling in  the  groups  of  attendant  sailors.  The  first  wall 
represents  the  discovery  of  silver  in  Spain  by  means  of  a 
vast  conflagration  that  has  raged  for  days,  until  streams  of 
metal  trickle  through  the  soil,  while  the  mountain  ranges 
of  the  background,  sharply  serrated,  arid  gray  or  tawny 
orange  in  hue,  seem  to  promise  the  land  abundant  in  min- 
erals to  the  ancients  in  lead,  copper,  iron  from  the  mines  of 
the  Asturias  and  Gallicia,  and  gold-dust  from  the  bed  of 
the  river  Tagus.  On  the  opposite  partition  the  King 
of  Tunis,  in  magnificent  raiment,  with  a  jewel  in  his  tur- 
ban, reclines  among  cushions,  examining  a  gold  florin 
struck  at  Florence,  and  demands  of  the  Pisan  merchants 
bowing  before  him  a  description  of  the  city  where  such 
fine  work  was  executed.     The  Pisan  spokesman,  with  the 


222  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

jealousy  characteristic  of  the  times,  imparts  a  disparaging 
account  of  the  Flower  City,  as  a  mean  town  far  inland 
from  the  sea,  with  rude  and  wolfish  inhabitants,  whereupon 
a  Florentine  prisoner  lifts  his  voice  in  indignant  protest 
of  the  falsehood.  The  Tunisian  court  listen,  while  their 
ruler  turns  the  coin  between  his  lingers,  indolently.  The 
third  wall,  opposite  the  windows,  is  a  gorgeous  mingling  of 
color  and  life,  with  the  Emperor  Caligula  consenting  to  the 
alloy  of  silver  money  first  introduced  by  the  base  Tribune, 
Livius  Drusius,  and  the  Triumvir  Antonio,  when  the  Roman 
world  had  long  held  temperately  to  copper  in  the  Aes,  Aes 
alienum,  Aerarium. 

"  If  I  had  the  whole  house  to  decorate  I  would  choose 
only  the  subject  of  riches,"  the  painter  remarks,  with  a 
humorous  expression.  "  After  all,  the  theme  is  a  varied 
one.  I  would  begin  with  Janus  as  the  first  inventor  of 
money,  or  the  son  of  Deucalion.  The  patriarch  Abraham 
surely  used  small  coin,  while  the  golden  talent  was  in  cir- 
culation with  the  Greeks  in  the  time  of  the  siege  of  Troy. 
The  copper,  mixed  with  tin  and  zinc,  of  the  Etruscans  and 
the  Umbrians  might  furnish  good  subjects,  as  well  as  the 
silver  of  the  south  and  Campania.  I  should  insert  lunettes, 
here  and  there,  of  the  means  of  barter  in  exchange  of 
primitive  races,  the  bars  of  rock  salt  of  the  Abyssinians, 
the  cowries  and  wampum  of  Indians,  and  the  bits  of  coral 
of  Africans.  For  vestibule  or  ball-room  I  should  not  fail 
to  design  an  apotheosis  of  the  mint  of  Genoa  as  it  existed 
in  the  day  of  the  Roman  Republic." 

Then  this  man  of  genius,  whose  brain  teems  with  varied 
images,  turns  a  half  completed  canvas  to  the  light,  folds  his 
arms,  and  steps  back  a  few  paces  to  contemplate  it  in  silence. 
He  intends  to  send  the  work  to  the  next  Venetian  art  ex- 
hibition, and  aspires  to  attracting  royal  commendation. 

The  picture  represents  a  crew  of  Phoenician  sailors  on 
the  coast  of  Syria,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Belus,  near 


SAINT  GEORGE.  223 

Acre.  They  have  disembarked  to  cook  their  dinner  on  a 
sandy  beach,  and  drawn  up  the  rude  vessel,  while  a  fire  is 
kindled  for  the  repast.  Flat  stones  are  requisite  to  build 
a  hearth  and  prop  up  the  cooking  implements ;  but  finding 
none  they  take  some  blocks  of  natrum  from  the  cargo  for 
the  purpose.  The  fire  kindled,  the  natrum  melts  in  the 
heat,  mingles  with  the  sand,  and  the  first  glass  pours  forth 
before  the  gaze  of  the  astonished  mariners. 

The  painter  is  right,  and  his  irony  not  misplaced :  wealth 
rules  the  world.  Is  Mammon  more  powerful  than  in  the 
early  days  of  the  Genoese  Republic  ?  Surely  then  the  in- 
stinct of  every  citizen  was  to  get  gain  and  live  luxuriously. 
The  money-box  stands  on  the  shelf,  a  narrow  and  high 
little  house  of  porcelain,  glazed  or  painted,  and  with  a 
certain  architectural  resemblance  in  miniature  to  the  once 
famous  Bank  of  St.  George. 

What  would  Genoa  be  robbed  of  Saint  George  ?  The 
knight  on  his  steed  caracoles  above  ancient  doorways,  and 
is  carved  on  the  gates  of  palaces.  The  red  cross  and  the 
standard  of  Saint  George  led  on  the  Genoese  troops  in  the 
Crusades.  In  1570  Paolo  Foglietta  declared  that  there 
were  no  other  horses  in  Genoa  except  the  charger  of  Saint 
George,  painted  or  carved,  owing  to  the  heavy  taxes  on 
horses  and  mules  imposed  by  French  rule  in  1402. 

The  legend  of  Saint  George  of  Cappadocia  belongs  to  the 
realm  of  fairy  tales,  and  yet  is  ever  fresh  in  attractiveness. 
The  youth  was  a  tribune  in  the  army  under  Diocletian  at 
a  time  when  a  dragon  dwelt  in  a  marsh  near  Beyrout,  and 
devoured  the  flock  and  herds  at  its  leisure.  After  the 
cattle  had  been  sacrificed  to  its  insatiable  appetite,  the 
children  had  to  be  driven  forth  from  the  city  walls  to  pre- 
vent a  nearer  approach  of  the  monster.  The  victims  were 
chosen  by  lot,  and  the  share  at  length  fell  to  the  king's 
daughter,  Cleolinda.  At  the  expiration  of  eight  days  the 
maiden   announced   her  readiness  to  die  for  the   people. 


224  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

Then  up  rose  Saint  George,  pinned  and  bound  the  dragon 
with  the  girdle  o(  the  princess,  and  bade  her  lead  the 
strange  companion  into  the  town :  after  which  he  prudently 
cut  off  its  head.  Diocletian  issued  a  proclamation  against 
the  Christians,  and  Saint  George  tore  down  the  placard, 
trampling  it  in  the  dust.  He  was  tortured  in  the  reign  of 
Dacian,  being  burned  with  torches ;  ordered  to  drink  a 
poisoned  cup,  without  evil  result ;  bound  to  a  wheel  studded 
with  knives,  and  two  angels  broke  it ;  thrown  into  boiling 
oil,  and  emerged  unharmed  ;  and  required  to  make  sacrifice 
in  heathen  temples,  when  thunder  and  lightning  destroyed 
the  altars,  crushed  the  idols,  and  killed  the  priests.  Fin- 
ally Dacian  ordered  him  beheaded,  and  he  met  death  with 
joy.  Charming  young  Saint  George,  spurring  to  the  rescue 
of  weakness  and  innocence  in  the  jaws  of  evil !  In  the 
very  ancient  worship  of  the  East  the  Greeks  called  him 
the  great  martyr ;  Godfrey  de  Bouillon  claimed  aid  of  him 
in  the  Holy  Land  ;  and  Richard  Coeur  de  Lion  made  him  the 
patron  saint  of  England  ;  but  none  the  less  he  seems  to  have 
been  only  another  form  of  Bellerophon,  Perseus,  or  Apollo. 
In  the  history  of  Genoa,  the  first  Doge,  Simone  Boccane- 
gra,  left  a  heritage  of  ambition  to  the  plebeians.  Gabriello 
Adorno  was  the  second  Doge,  and  Domenico  Fregoso  the 
third.  In  1379  the  campaign  of  Chioggia,  when  Venice 
remembered  the  previous  defeat  and  capture  of  Marco 
Polo,  resulted  in  still  heavier  taxation  in  Genoa  under 
Leonardo  Montaldo  and  Antoniotto  Fregoso,  holding  the 
ducal  office.  In  1382  the  butchers  met  in  the  convent  of 
San  Benigno  on  Holy  Thursday  to  raise  the  price  of  meat 
after  the  fasts,  or  to  suppress  the  existing  iniquitous  imposts. 
They  rang  the  bell  of  the  church,  which  not  only  startled 
the  citizens,  as  bells  were  silent  at  that  season,  but  was 
heard  in  the  valley  of  Polcevera ;  and  the  country  people 
flocked  to  the  aid  of  the  butchers,  thus  creating  a  popular 
demonstration.     Montaldo   placed  himself  at  the  head  of 


SAINT  GEORGE.  225 

the    insurgents,  and    cries  resounded  through   the  streets 
of  "  Viva  il  Popolo ! " 

A  curious  scene  ensued  in  the  ducal  palace.  Antonio 
Adorno,  who  came  from  Savona,  and  had  much  influence 
with  the  lower  classes,  marched  to  the  palace,  where  Mon- 
taldo,  scheming  to  grasp  and  retain  power,  was  already 
established,  his  escort  of  populace  proclaiming,  "  Viva  il 
Doge  Adorno  !  "  The  portals  were  forced  ;  Adorno  estab- 
lished himself  in  the  ducal  apartment,  and  received  the 
homage  of  the  citizens,  while  Montaldo,  supported  by  ten 
notable  men,  held  another  portion  of  the  building,  feigning 
to  ignore  the  situation.  Both  parties  remained  underarms 
for  the  night,  and  watched  each  other.  The  next  morn- 
ing Montaldo  summoned  a  council  in  the  Church  of  San 
Siro,  and  Adorno  came  to  salute  him  with  urbanity,  but 
in  the  end  triumphed.  The  Adorni,  rivals  of  the  Fregosi, 
had  six  Doges  elected  from  their  family  between  1360 
and  1530.  Their  authority  was  precarious,  and  accord- 
ing to  the  faction  prevailing.  Adorno  during  his  term  of 
office  sailed  to  Tuscany  on  a  galley  to  meet  the  emi- 
grated Guelphs,  and  received  on  board  the  warrior- 
bishop  of  Vercelli,  Cardinal  Giovanni  Fieschi.  They  re- 
turned together  to  Genoa,  with  a  branch  of  olive  at- 
tached to  the  prow  of  the  vessel.  In  1396,  the  Doge 
resigned,  and  a  new  standard  of  France  was  hoisted  over 
the  city  with  the  acclamation :  "  Vive  l'aigle,  vive  le 
peuple,  et  le  roi !  " 

The  French  governor  Boucicault  arrived  in  1401  with 
one  thousand  horse,  and  one  thousand  men  at  arms,  and 
in  the  ensuing  year  he  had  strengthened  the  citadel  of 
Casteletto,  the  arsenal  on  the  sea,  and  fortified  Spezia 
and  Charivari.  At  the  close  of  his  rule  the  Bank  of  St. 
George  was  founded.  The  ancient  Palace  of  St.  George 
still  stands  down  near  the  harbor,  amid  the  traffic  of  the 
fish-market,  and  with  the  statues  of  noted  citizens  ranged 

15 


226  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

around  the  great  hall,  gazing  down  from  their  place  on  a 
change  in  the  order  of  affairs ;  for  the  interior,  long  used 
as  the  custom  house,  will  henceforth  be  preserved  in  the 
form  of  a  municipal  museum.  Founded  to  gather  into  one 
the  various  interests  of  the  Republic,  it  was  the  most 
ancient  banking-house  of  Europe.  The  colonies  in  the 
East  and  the  island  of  Corsica  were  under  the  adminis- 
tration of  St.  George  at  different  times.  Previously  all 
great  expenses  of  the  Commonwealth  had  to  be  defrayed 
by  means  of  a  loan,  an  anticipation  of  some  branch  of 
public  revenue,  or  the  tax  of  the  customs  on  an  article  of 
consumption  increased.  These  affairs  multiplied  in  excess 
from  year  to  year,  and  each  required  a  special  commission 
of  the  Government  to  adjust  with  the  united  syndicate  of 
creditors.  In  general  the  magistrates  and  the  capitalists 
were  the  same  men,  which  rendered  all  transactions  less 
complicated  ;  but  a  sufficient  number  of  reliable  persons 
for  so  many  separate  transactions  became  rare.  It  was 
reasonable,  therefore,  to  collect  the  mass  of  business  un- 
der the  same  supervision  and  a  mutual  responsibility.  An 
immense  economy  of  useless  expense  was  the  least  of  the 
advantages  of  this  great  measure.  The  bank  assumed  the 
care  of  all  products  of  associations  ;  replaced  or  distributed 
bonds,  the  titles  of  dividends,  and  the  net  sum  of  annual 
receipts,  the  custom  having  long  prevailed  of  separating 
capital  into  parcels  of  one  hundred  livres.  The  rule  of 
the  house  was  established  on  the  wisest  principles.  It 
was  a  representative  financial  republic.  The  sovereignty 
belonged  to  the  shareholders,  who  nominated  members  of 
their  government  in  a  general  assembly.  A  charter  was 
decreed ;  the  laws  proposed  by  the  magistrature  were  rati- 
fied, or  rejected  at  pleasure.  Eight  protectors  were  elected 
temporarily,  to  compose  the  Senate  of  St.  George,  similar 
to  the  eight  nobles  to  whom  the  State  had  so  long  confided 
the  care  of  finances.     Under  these  chiefs  sub-magistrates 


SAINT  GEORGE.  227 

divided  the  details  of  work,  and  controlled  all  debts  and 
contraventions.  The  tribunal  of  the  protectors  of  the 
bank  were  a  sort  of  superior  court,  on  the  decisions  of 
which  the  Government  had  influence.  Thus  organized, 
the  bank  was  in  a  state  to  command  the  respect  of  all 
classes,  as  the  fundamental  base  of  her  system  was  abso- 
lute independence  over  her  treasure  and  her  rights.  The 
chiefs  of  the  Republic  were  capitalists  as  well  as  influential 
citizens,  and  they  had  the  prudence  to  act  as  magistrates 
in  consecrating  the  inviolability  of  their  covenant  to  the 
general  interests.  In  civil  discords  the  rich  were  usually 
at  the  head  of  factions ;  hence  the  deposit  of  private  for- 
tunes was  protected  rather  than  despoiled.  When  tyrants 
attempted  violation  of  such  rights  a  public  clamor  arose. 
Distrust  of  the  founders  of  all  foreign  rulers  made  them 
neglect  no  precaution  of  security.  They  are  reputed  to 
have  made  a  reserve  fund,  which  became  a  secret  of  the 
administration.  The  annual  dividends  distributed  were 
far  from  exhausting  the  resources  of  this  deposit.  Under 
pretext  of  debts  overdue,  and  of  settlements  of  long  term, 
they  gained  exemption  from  revealing  all  the  riches  of  the 
bank.  In  1444,  thirty-seven  years  after  the  foundation,  a 
new  magistracy  was  added  with  a  patent  to  watch  over  all 
investments  in  arrears,  but,  in  reality,  to  administer  secretly 
this  accumulated  treasure  in  reserve. 

Such  was  the  money-box  of  Genoa.  Large  sums  flowed 
into  the  coffers  from  private  families,  and  the  institution 
exercised  a  most  salutary  influence  on  the  accumulation 
of  patrimonies.  Churches,  confraternities,  and  hospitals 
placed  their  donations  in  this  savings-bank ;  corporations 
deposited  here  their  economies,  monasteries  their  alms, 
and  parents  the  dowries  of  daughters  or  the  patrimony 
of  sons,  with  due  heed  to  the  needs  of  posterity.  St. 
George  was  deemed  one  of  the  most  solid  foundations 
in   the  world,  and   favorable  to   the   development    of   an 


228  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

opulent  aristocracy  growing  day  by  day.  The  bank  em- 
ployed these  funds  of  revenues  in  the  interests  of  the 
owners.  If  a  family  built  a  chapel,  a  road,  or  a  bridge, 
the  note  of  the  house  was  used  to  defray  the  expense  out 
of  the  deposit  in  perpetuity.  Often  the  clients  took  care 
to  order  that  bonds  should  not  be  applied  to  their  destined 
use  for  a  certain  number  of  years,  or  to  await  a  definite 
combination  of  values,  in  order  that  the  aggregation  of 
money  thus  insured  should  have  other  investment  as  well, 
in  the  increase  of  inalienable  capital.  The  bank  was  one 
of  deposit,  and  not  of  credit.  Paper  was  never  emitted, 
no  loans  were  made,  sums  of  gold  and  the  dividends  were 
held  in  trust.  Funds  could  be  transferred  on  the  books, 
and  the  bills,  or  notes,  held  by  the  owners  or  put  in  circu- 
lation, were  readily  paid.  In  time  of  need  the  Doge  and 
the  Senate  could  borrow  of  this  treasury.  St.  George  bore 
the  burden  of  the  Republic,  and  gained  a  reputation  in  the 
outside  world  like  the  British  East  India  Company.  Is  not 
the  example  unique  in  history  of  two  republics  ruling 
within  the  boundaries  of  the  same  city,  —  one  seditious, 
turbulent,  and  full  of  discord;  and  the  other  rich,  peace- 
able, well  regulated,  and  conservative  of  ancient  probity  : 
such  were  Genoa  and  the  Bank  of  St.  George.  The  walls 
of  separation  between  these  full  coffers  and  an  impov- 
erished public  treasury  became  weak,  and  spendthrift 
descendants  found  the  restrictions  on  private  property 
irksome. 

The  artist  has  resumed  his  work,  and  the  little  Giorgio 
creeps  back  into  the  studio  silently.  He  gazes  at  the 
money-box  on  the  shelf,  once  more  climbs  on  the  chair, 
takes  it  in  his  hand,  and  shakes  it,  impatiently,  to  listen 
to  the  music  of  the  coins  within.  Ah,  if  he  might  only 
count  them  before  the  festa  !  The  child  drops  the  box  on 
the  pavement  of  cement ;  it  breaks,  and  the  money  rolls 
about  the  floor  in  all  directions. 


SAINT  GEORGE.  229 

The  artist  shrugs  his  shoulders  and  laughs. 

"  That  is  the  way  the  French  served  our  Bank  of  St. 
George  in  the  end :  they  broke  the  money-box  to  see 
what  it  contained,"  he  says,  laying  aside  his  brushes 
for  the  night. 


CHAPTER   XX. 


AN    AIR-CASTLE. 


THE  clerk  of  the  money-changer  has  bought  the  third 
of  a  lottery  ticket  with  two  friends.  He  invariably 
plays  in  the  lottery,  staking  very  small  sums.  His  world 
plays  in  the  lottery,  both  high  and  low.  He  is  confident  of 
making  the  right  combination  of  numbers  yet,  and  of  win- 
ning the  first  prize.  In  the  mean  while  he  waits,  hopes, 
and  loses  himself  in  the  mazes  of  calculation,  in  leisure 
moments.  He  is  a  careworn  little  man,  with  an  increas- 
ing family,  and  the  wife's  dowry  consumed  long  ago  in 
necessary  expenditure. 

The  broker's  office  is  a  mere  cell,  with  a  counter,  a  desk, 
and  a  window  in  which  to  display  crisp  bank-notes,  and 
piles  of  shining  gold  and  silver  coin  artistically  arranged 
on  a  black  cloth.  The  atmosphere  of  the  interior  is  always 
blue  with  tobacco  smoke.  Situated  near  the  Loggia  de' 
Banchi,  the  proprietor  is  ever  ready  to  give  an  advanced 
premium  of  exchange  on  the  drafts  of  other  countries,  and 
to  furnish  the  travellers  about  to  cross  a  frontier  with 
French  or  English  gold. 

In  the  twelfth  century  the  multiplication  of  business 
affairs  in  Genoa  necessitated  some  system  of  brokerage, 
such  as  throve  in  Florence  and  Siena,  managed  by  citizens 
called  usurers.  Genoa  accordingly  exchanged  statutes 
with  those  cities.  A  quarter  became  known  as  the  Pi- 
azza  de'    Banchi.     Each   money-changer   sat   in  his  shop 


AN  AIR-CASTLE.  231 

during  hours  of  traffic,  with  a  bench  or  table  before  him, 
covered  with  a  cloth,  an  open  ledger  for  the  daily  accounts, 
and  bags  of  money  placed  about  him.  Strangers  could 
exchange  here  all  foreign  coin. 

How  one  would  have  liked  to  peep  into  the  money-bags 
of  the  ancient  broker  of  a  seaport  like  Genoa!  The 
wealth  displayed  to-day  has  a  certain  hard  and  practical 
prosperity  about  it,  whether  British  sovereign,  French 
napoleon,  or  German  twenty-mark  piece.  These  tourists, 
perpetually  moving  on  the  world's  highway,  carry  their 
Murray  or  Baedeker  under  one  arm,  are  well  fed,  ever 
welcome,  and  thoroughly  informed  on  all  topics.  They 
recall  the  sober  bread-winning  merchants  of  Marseilles 
and  Toulouse  who  put  an  end  to  the  follies  of  troubadour's 
song  and  mandolin  strumming.  The  possibilities  of  the 
old  money-bag  were  endless  as  food  for  conjecture.  It 
might  contain  the  Milanese  Grant  of  the  eighth  century  ;  or 
a  hoard  of  the  Bruni  and  the  smaller  Brunetti,  the  brown 
pieces  of  copper  or  silver,  of  little  value,  of  the  tenth 
century ;  the  gold  G-enovino,  or  the  Danari  of  Pavia  and 
Lucca,  the  latter  signifying  wealth,  in  time,  over  Europe. 
The  Saracenic  Marabottini  of  Spain  and  the  Greek  Bisanzj 
might  be  counted  out  of  such  a  receptacle.  Again  the  bag 
might  be  full  to  repletion  of  the  Lira,  that  livre  of  Charle- 
magne which  was  long  the  ideal  coin  of  all  countries,  and 
the  silver  Marc  of  Barbarossa.  In  the  famous  mart  of  the 
town  of  Wisby,  on  the  Island  of  Gotland,  the  cufic  money 
of  the  Samanicles,  reigning  at  Gihon,  on  the  borders  of 
Lake  Aral,  of  the  ninth  or  the  tenth  centuries  was  found 
in  circulation.  Perhaps  these  primitive  pieces  came  from 
Samarcand,  destroyed  by  Tamerlane,  or  by  way  of  Russia 
and  the  Baltic  Sea,  passing  from  hand  to  hand  ;  but  the 
solution  was  accepted  as  more  probable  that  they  had 
circulated  by  the  counters  of  Venice  and  Genoa  from  the 
Black  Sea. 


232  GENOA   THE   SUPERB. 

The  day  is  Saturday,  and  the  little  clerk  awaits  the 
putting  forth  of  the  placard  containing  the  number  drawn 
in  the  lottery  at  noon,  from  the  doors  of  the  offices  de- 
dicated to  the  Goddess  of  Fortune.  He  is  of  a  peculiar 
class  of  mind,  to  be  found  in  all  countries,  with  the  capacity 
for  manipulating  figures  rapidly  and  accurately  known  as 
a  "  lightning  calculator."  Penniless  himself,  he  has  often 
followed  the  scheme  of  Francesco  Vivaldi,  on  the  margin  of 
a  daily  journal,  with  the  aid  of  a  pencil,  in  applying  to 
the  emolument  of  the  State  the  placing  of  capital  on  the 
columns  of  Saint  George,  as  the  system  came  to  be  desig- 
nated; and  worked  out,  to  his  own  satisfaction,  the  problem 
of  Ansaldo  Grimaldi  in  the  sixteenth  century,  with  the 
accumulation  of  property,  under  certain  favorable  condi- 
tions, from  1407  to  our  time.  He  would  be  capable  of 
pondering  on  how  many  Eiffel  Towers  would  reach  from 
the  Paris  boulevard  to  the  sun  ;  or  how  many  franc  pieces 
piled  up  would  reach  to  the  top  of  the  existing  structure ; 
or  what  would  be  its  actual  value  if  made  of  gold.  To-day 
he  is  fascinated  to  estimate  the  fortune  of  an  American 
capitalist,  on  an  old  envelope. 

"  If  the  American  receives  sixty  million  lire  a  year  in- 
come, how  much  does  he  enjoy  a  month,  a  day,  an  hour  ?" 
he  soliloquizes. 

The  church  bells  ring  for  noon.  The  little  clerk  hastens 
around  the  corner,  and  reads  only  a  blank  for  himself  on 
the  placard  of  the  lottery.  He  walks  homeward  to  his 
family  meal,  and  glances  ruefully  at  his  shabby  boots. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 


A   PINCH    OF    SALT. 


THE  head  of  the  family  upsets  a  crystal  salt-cellar  on 
the  cloth,  and  insists  that  every  person  at  the  table 
shall  take  a  pinch  between  finger  and  thumb,  and  cast  it 
over  the  shoulder. 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  have  my  temper  tried  by  useless  quar- 
rels," he  affirms,  with  suitable  seriousness. 

Who  ever  values  the  pinch  of  salt  thus  cast  to  the  winds  ? 
The  prosaic  article  pertaining  to  the  domestic  hearthstone 
has  served  an  important  part  in  the  history  of  Genoese 
commerce.  From  the  window  the  guard  of  a  city  gate  on 
the  hillside  may  be  seen  at  his  post.  All  day  he  waits  at 
the  receipt  of  custom.  No  element  of  old  Italian  cities  is 
more  curious  than  the  walls  enclosing  them,  with  the  mas- 
sive portals,  whereby  a  rill  of  money  has  flowed  into  the 
coffers  of  the  municipal  treasury,  and  a  counter  current  of 
merchandise  flowed  out  to  meet  the  requirements  of  other 
towns.  If  the  disciple  Saint  Matthew  was  a  custom-house 
officer,  this  system  of  collecting  revenues  must  have  been 
sufficiently  ancient.  In  the  annals  of  Florence  one  reads 
that  the  taxes  (gabelle),  which  must  have  included  the 
gates,  were  devoted  in  a  certain  year  to  the  wars  of  Lom- 
bardy.  Venice  established  relations  with  the  interior  for 
her  trade  by  the  Adige,  the  Po,  the  Piave,  Mincio,  and 
Oglio ;  Pisa  by  the  Arno,  through  Etruria  and  the  Apen- 
nines of  the  Romagna ;  and  Lucca  by  way  of  Modena, 
thence  spreading  to  Reggio  and  Parma,  while  Genoa  sought 


234  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

Piedmont  by  Monteferrato  and  Milan.  Who  knows  what 
service  in  past  centuries  the  gate  visible  from  the  window 
has  fulfilled,  where  the  guard  with  the  feather  in  his  hat 
has  now  no  occupation  except  to  peer  into  the  market 
baskets  of  country-folk,  the  railway  and  the  steamship 
having  robbed  him  of  heavier  duties  ?  May  it  not  have 
been  the  channel  of  Genoese  enterprise  to  vend  the  sugar, 
spices,  and  gums  of  the  Levant,  the  silks  of  Soria,  Persia, 
and  Constantinople,  the  quicksilver  of  Spain,  the  leather 
and  cotton  of  Tunis,  the  ivory  and  coral  of  Africa,  the 
salt  fish  of  the  Black  Sea,  fruit,  wine,  and  grain  from  the 
Isles  of  the  Archipelago  and  Sicily,  linen  and  cloth  of 
Britain  and  Belgium,  together  with  iron,  lead,  tin,  copper, 
and  silver  and  gold  work  ?  In  turn  the  industrious  cities 
of  Lombardy  shipped  bales  of  their  goods  by  the  ports  of 
Venice  and  Genoa  for  Greece  and  the  Levant ;  Milan  sent 
annually  to  Venice  four  thousand  pieces  of  cloth,  of  the  value 
of  thirty  zecchins  each,  and  twelve  thousand  worth  fifteen 
zecchins  ;  Cremona  wove  forty  thousand  pieces  of  the  best 
fustian,  at  fourteen  zecchins  the  piece,  to  send  away  yearly ; 
Alessandria,  Novara,  Tortona,  Pavia,  Monza,  Brescia,  and 
Parma  also  contributed  their  quota.  Florence  exported 
sixteen  thousand  pieces  of  cloth  in  the  twelvemonth,  re- 
ceiving in  exchange  the  wools  of  Catalonia  and  Andalusia, 
indigo,  grain,  silver  thread,  cramoisy,  cochineal,  and  wax. 

Genoa  dealt  largely  with  England,  the  Low  Countries, 
Brabant,  Bruges,  Marseilles,  Nice,  and  Aries.  The  cargo 
of  one  of  her  galleys  to  Dunstable  is  thus  enumerated  : 
Two  large  hogsheads  (casks)  of  green  ginger,  a  barrel  of 
ginger  in  lemon  water,  nine  barrels  of  sulphur,  one  hundred 
and  sixty-two  bales  of  drag  nets,  twenty-two  bales  of  writ- 
ing paper,  a  case  of  sugar  candy,  a  barrel  of  dried  prunes, 
thirty-eight  cases  of  rice,  five  casks  of  cinnamon,  five  bales 
of  box-wood,  and  three  barrels  of  spices. 

Genoa  introduced  into  Holland  wrought  gold,  alum,  silks, 


A  PINCH  OF  SALT.  235 

jewelry,  wine,  treacle,  and  coral.  In  return  the  Sea  City 
became  familiar  with  the  products  of  European  markets, 
tapestry,  carpets,  fine  linen,  lace,  German  steel,  trappings 
for  horses,  the  small  wares  of  Nuremberg,  saltpetre,  the 
masts  of  ships  and  timber  for  building  materials  of  the 
Baltic  provinces,  skins,  and  hemp. 

Measures,  weights,  and  money  employed  in  all  commerce 
were  important  matters  in  contracts.  Does  the  guard  at  the 
city  gate  still  adhere  to  the  ancient  standard  ?  The  linear 
measure  of  Genoa  was  the  palm  (il  palmo'),  which  was 
divided  into  twelve  inches,  and  nine  palms  made  la  canna. 
The  latter  was  the  measure  of  the  cloth  merchants.  The 
measures  of  quantity  and  of  capacity  were  various,  not  only 
between  liquids  and  solids,  but  even  with  the  former  alone. 
Thus  oil  was  rated  by  the  barrel,  divided  into  four  portions, 
.which  made  six  measures,  thirty-two  quarters,  or  sixty-four 
amole,  while  wine  was  sold  in  the  wine  measure  of  two  half 
barrels,  and  third  portions.  Salt,  grain,  and  other  dry 
materials  were  weighed  by  the  bushel,  the  quarter,  and  less. 
Each  quantity  contained  an  accurate  indication  of  the 
weight  of  the  bulk.  The  barrel  of  oil  weighed  seven  and  a 
half  rubbi  (a  measure  for  grain),  the  wine  twenty,  and  the 
bushel  twelve.  Even  this  rubbo  (the  corn  measure)  had  two 
divisions,  one  for  coarse  and  large  merchandise,  and  the 
other  for  fine  and  light  articles ;  the  first  could  be  separated 
into  one  hundred  parts  of  eighteen  ounces,  and  the  second 
into  five  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  twelve  ounces.  The 
gates  used  the  large  and  small  standard  of  the  canna,  the 
hundred  weight  for  iron,  gold,  and  silver,  and  received  the 
turnpike  money  of  Voltaggio,  as  the  port  exacted  dues 
from  the  side  of  the  sea.  Did  the  writing-paper,  made  of 
old  rags,  first  at  Fabriano,  a  city  of  the  marches  of  Ancona 
and  Treviso,  and  speedily  adopted  in  all  Liguria,  which 
rendered  the  printing  of  books  possible,  pass  through  our 
gate  yonder  ? 


236  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

In  1149  the  expenses  of  the  siege  of  Tortosa  in  Spain 
had  to  be  defrayed  by  means  of  city  dues  and  tributary 
income  from  Pera,  the  other  colonies,  and  Corsica.  One 
associates  a  new  tax,  in  1402,  on  meat,  fish,  wood,  horses 
and  mules,  the  wages  of  sailors,  the  profession  of  notary, 
and  the  wearers  of  pearls,  with  the  arrival  of  the  French 
governor,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  sister,  when,  amidst 
the  usual  pageantry  of  receiving  distinguished  guests,  and 
the  ringing  of  the  great  bell  of  the  ducal  palace,  the  Gen- 
oese attired  themselves  in  white  and  green,  such  being  the 
colors  of  the  new  ruler.  The  guard  at  the  gate  had  need 
to  count  the  one  soldo  on  the  bushel  of  salt,  and  the  three 
soldi  on  the  barrel  of  wine  ;  for  although  the  French  gov- 
ernor might  be  gracious  and  liberal  in  gaining  the  confi- 
dence of  the  people  by  lending  himself  to  all  the  pious 
observances  prevailing  in  Genoa  at  the  time,  —  the  suppres- 
sion of  games,  not  holding  frivolous  conversation  with 
women,  giving  large  donations  in  charity,  fasting  fre- 
quently, and  attending  two  Masses  daily,  —  the  expenses  of 
his  rank  must  have  been  heavy.  A  French  seigneur,  even 
if  not  a  courtier,  while  ignorant  of  the  luxuries  of  modern 
society,  had  his  property,  retainers,  pages,  armor,  tourna- 
ments, gambling ;  and  if  his  library  consisted  of  one  volume, 
it  cost  one  hundred  times  more  than  a  book  of  the  present 
day.  The  French  ladies  who  had  come  to  Genoa  had  little 
to  learn  in  extravagance  from  the  fair  daughters  of  Italy, 
as  Oriental  stuffs  and  perfumes  had  found  their  way  to 
France  since  the  reign  of  Charlemagne.  They  required 
gold  crowns,  chaplets  of  pearls,  African  feathers,  ermine, 
Byzantine  enamels,  velvets,  samits,  tissues  of  gold  and 
silk,  imported  by  Venice  and  Marseilles  at  great  expense, 
and  robes  of  northern  manufacture.  The  furniture  used 
by  a  chatelaine  had  to  harmonize  with  her  toilette ;  ivory, 
pearl,  woods,  and  metals  were  wrought  in  exquisite  de- 
signs   of    incrustation    and   marquetry.      The   buffet   was 


A  PINCH  OF  SALT.  237 

loaded  with  pieces  of  silver,  usually  heavier  than  the 
amount  of  income  of  the  seigneur,  and  crystal  ornaments 
of  Eastern  fabrication.  Perfumes,  drugs,  spices,  and  the 
sugar  of  Egypt  and  Syria,  where  the  cane  was  culti- 
vated, were  among  the  costly  necessities  of  life  for  the 
upper  classes. 

Equally  close  is  the  connecting  link  of  events  of  the  city 
gate  opening  to  make  a  passage  for  the  traffic  in  hemp, 
wool,  cheese,  lard,  nut-galls,  almonds,  tallow,  and  tiles  with 
the  rule  of  the  Doge  Tommaso  da  Campi  Fregoso,  in  1440. 
He  gave  two  thousand  and  live  hundred  lire  (livres)  as  a 
donation  when  the  Franciscans  held  great  religious  cere- 
monials in  the  monastery  of  San  Francesco.  The  Pope 
Eugenius  IV.  granted  a  plenary  indulgence  to  all  who 
should  attend  this  religious  function.  A  great  multitude 
flocked  into  Genoa,  and  many  women  journeyed  from 
Corsica  who  had  never  been  on  the  mainland  before. 
In  1442  Battista  Fregoso,  brother  of  the  Doge,  and  a 
captain  of  the  city,  died,  and  in  June  he  was  given  funeral 
honours  in  accordance  with  the  custom  of  the  times. 
Twelve  horses  led  the  cortege,  the  first  steed,  draped  with 
white,  carrying  the  banner  of  the  commune,  and  the  other 
eleven  having  black  trappings,  one  bearing  the  ensign  of 
the  Fregoso  family,  another  the  scutcheon,  a  third  the 
helmet  and  sword  of  the  deceased,  and  the  rest  flags.  The 
bier  was  carried  by  two  members  of  the  Silk  Guild,  two  of 
the  drapers,  two  colleagues  of  the  Council,  and  two  apothe- 
caries, while  eight  citizens  of  the  suburb  of  St.  Thomas 
wore  deep  mourning.  Twenty  citizens  preceded  the  bier, 
carrying  candles  ;  the  youth  oi  the  city  bore  their  crosses ; 
and  the  religious  confraternities  carried  torches,  chanting, 
and  burning  incense.  No  pomp  of  funereal  magnificence 
was  omitted  on  the  occasion.  In  the  modern  cemetery  of 
Genoa,  where  the  statue  of  Time  waits,  with  folded  arms 
and  drooping  wings,  no  ceremonial  of  respect  for  the  dead 


238  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

can  hope  to  surpass  the  sumptuous  splendor  of  the  Middle 
Ages. 

A  mental  picture  remains  with  the  writer  of  once  watch- 
ing the  American  man  of  business  who  had  chosen  a  home 
in  the  country  perform  the  duty  on  a  Sunday  afternoon  of 
visiting  a  certain  meadow  of  the  hillside  to  give  salt  to  the 
young  cattle.  The  trees  cast  shadows  on  the  grass,  chest- 
nut and  hickory  of  the  autumn  harvest,  dear  to  the  chil- 
dren, and  a  little  brook  flowed  below.  With  what  eagerness 
were  velvety  brown  and  white  noses,  still  calfish,  thrust 
forth  to  devour  the  rations  contained  in  the  basket  of  the 
master  !  The  pastoral  scene  gives  place  swiftly  to  a  much 
more  suggestive  one  of  a  group  of  women,  moving  with 
stealthy  precaution,  and  crouching  among  the  low,  wave- 
washed  rocks  of  the  shore  near  the  old  Lazzaretto  of  Leg- 
horn to  avoid  the  eye  of  the  coast  guard,  while  they  attempt 
to  scrape  off  some  crude  deposit  of  precious  salt  from  the 
stones.  Alas !  The  act  is  against  the  law,  and  the  guard 
hastens  to  put  the  culprits  to  flight.  Possibly  even  the 
early  Genoese  and  the  Romans  were  equally  rigid  in  main- 
taining a  monopoly  of  the  domestic  necessity.  Why  may 
not  the  poor  women  even  reap  the  gift  of  the  sea  ?  The 
animal  instinct  of  craving  salt  is  the  same  with  them  and 
the  young  cattle  of  the  meadow.  Sea  water  is  sufficiently 
repugnant,  what  with  the  elements  of  animal  matter  and 
the  gases  of  submarine  volcanoes,  until  subjected  to  the 
different  processes  of  purification  of  the  chemicals  held  in 
solution  by  the  saline  works  of  the  coasts,  to  be  generous 
with  ii  to  poverty-pinched  populations. 

The  city  gate  exacted  the  rigor  of  the  law.  In  1215  the 
taxes  on  salt  and  the  bread  called  pancogoli  were  increased, 
as  the  revenues  of  these  articles  had  been  added  to  the 
tribute  exacted  of  Messina,  Tyre,  and  Bregia  in  1214. 
The  trade  in  salt  with  Turkey,  together  with  the  grain  of 
all  coasts,  was  very  important  in  1383.    Genoa  and  Savona 


Panorama  of  the  Campo  Santo  (Cemetery  of  Staglieno). 


A  PINCH   OF   SALT.  230 

in  1520  held  entire  control  of  salt  as  an  affair  of  state. 
Lucca  kept  on  amicable  terms  with  her  powerful  neighbor 
Genoa  by  reason  of  salt,  at  least.  Venice  used  the  soda 
brought  from  Florence  and  the  alkaline  plants  gathered  in 
certain  localities  on  the  coast  of  Syria  in  the  manufacture 
of  a  salt  that  gained  much  repute  for  excellence  through 
Lombardy  and  Piedmont. 

Looking  toward  the  sea,  the  water-gate  seems  still  to 
renew  those  early  treaties  with  Marseilles,  Toulon,  or  Nice, 
such  as  still  are  kept  in  the  archives  of  Aries.  This  last 
assured  the  safety  of  goods  and  person,  granting  Aries 
authorization  to  establish  at  Genoa  a  consulate  to  adjust 
all  civil  differences.  Wood  could  be  exported  to  Genoa  to 
build  houses,  staves,  and  hoops  for  casks,  but  on  condition 
of  personal  use,  without  power  to  sell  at  Marseilles  or  else- 
where. It  was  forbidden  to  take  German  goods,  or  the 
cloth  of  Rheims  and  Champagne  to  Genoa,  while  the  latter 
was  interdicted  from  selling  wheat  and  figs,  only  chestnuts 
being  allowed. 

On  the  hillside  the  guard  with  the  feather  in  his  hat 
waits  all  day  to  receive  the  dole  of  petty  traffic.  That  gate 
was  closed,  barred,  and  fortified  in  the  sipges  of  the  mer- 
cenary captains,  Carmagnola  and  Piccinino.  In  that  of 
1435  bread  and  vegetables  were  distributed  to  the  citizens : 
then  the  horses  were  slain,  and  the  famished  crowds  that 
met  in  the  streets  gladly  secured  a  few  roots  and  grass. 

The  query  naturally  arises,  — 

"  Oh,  did  the  people  have  salt  ?  " 


CHAPTER   XXII. 


grandfather's  waistcoat. 


MORNING  light  shines  on  the  Bourse  and  the  Piazza 
Campetto,  which  may  be  designated  as  the  realm 
of  velvet  if  an  adjacent  street  is  dedicated  to  the  gold- 
smiths. Genoa  velvet  has  been  the  synonyme  of  magnifi- 
cence for  centuries  the  world  over.  The  weaving  of  silk 
and  velvet  belong  to  the  flowering  of  the  Sea  City.  Her 
looms  seem  to  have  borrowed,  in  addition  to  the  arabesque 
patterns  of  the  Orient,  the  colors  of  her  sky,  sea,  and  sur- 
rounding hills  for  the  robes  of  state  of  the  occupants  of 
her  palaces. 

The  light  penetrates  the  interior  of  the  shops,  and 
gleams  on  folds  of  subdued  tints,  brown  shading  to 
amber,  the  purple  of  the  amethyst,  silvery  gray  with  some 
subtle  tinge  of  rose,  and  the  downy  bloom  of  apricot,  or 
the  tawny  lustre  of  the  opal,  all  piled  on  the  counters  and 
shelves  in  tempting  array.  Here  is  a  piece  of  goods  of  the 
green  of  sea-waves  around  caves,  worthy  to  have  served 
for  the  bag  containing  the  private  seal  of  the  French  King 
Philip  V.  in  1320 ;  and  there  blue  velvet,  with  flowers, 
that  might  have  been  used  to  hang  on  the  walls  of  the 
chamber  of  King  John  II.,  surnamed  le  Bon,  in  1352,  —  a 
prince  who  further  required  plain  blue  velvet  for  his  per- 
sonal attire,  and  a  shirt  of  Florentine  changeable  taffetas. 
In  1742  the  French  minister  at  Paris  begged  his  envoy  at 
Genoa  to  induce  workmen  in  the  weaving  of  silk,  damask. 


GRANDFATHER'S  WAISTCOAT.  241 

and  velvet  to  seek  employment  in  France.  He  further 
urged  that  the  sort  of  irons  used  by  the  Genoese  to  cut 
velvet  should  be  studied.  The  inference  must  be  deduced 
that  the  weavers  were  lured  to  Paris,  or  that  the  envoy 
discovered  the  secret  of  the  irons,  from  the  result  in  French 
velvet  of  our  day. 

An  American  family  party  stroll  across  the  Piazza,  con- 
sisting of  Paterfamilias,  a  maiden  aunt,  and  several  sons 
of  a  lively  temperament.  No  doubt  those  wary  spiders, 
the  merchants,  watch  them  keenly  from  the  dark  recesses 
of  their  shops.  The  maiden  aunt,  mild,  white  haired,  and 
alert  in  movement  for  her  years,  is  the  first  fly  caught. 
Genoa  velvet  was  one  of  the  reminiscences  of  her  child- 
hood in  her  Boston  home,  where  the  waistcoat  of  grand- 
father, in  his  prime,  was  invariably  made  of  the  costly 
fabric. 

"  What  a  gay  old  gentleman  he  must  have  been  in  his 
taste  for  dress,"  remarks  the  eldest  son,  who  is  tall,  slen- 
der, and  somewhat  supercilious. 

The  gaze  of  Aunt  Jane  wanders  over  the  masculine  at- 
tire of  her  kindred,  as  she  rejoins,  — 

"  I  don't  know  but  he  was  as  well  dressed  as  you  men, 
nowadays." 

"  What  color  did  he  most  affect,  Aunty  ? "  inquires 
the  youngest  boy,  a  frank  and  happy  lad  who  never  saw 
grandfather. 

"  Red,"  confesses  Aunt  Jane,  after  a  pause,  and  pointing 
to  ruby  stuff  in  a  window.  "  Only  to  think  that  I  should 
ever  live  to  see  Genoa  velvet  in  Genoa  !  " 

Then  she  recalls  the  era  of  Genoa  velvet  in  the  house- 
hold of  the  Boston  merchant  of  the  early  portion  of  the 
century,  and  Paterfamilias  nods  acquiescence,  supple- 
menting details  of  the  schoolboy.  Grandfather  allowed 
his  daughters  to  divide  the  morsels  of  a  much  worn  gar- 
ment.    Aunt  Jane,  moved  to  the  laughter  which  is  akin 

1G 


242  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

to  tears  in  the  Piazza  Campetto,  describes  the  pincushion 
of  microscopic  proportions,  made  of  such  bits,  neatly 
sewed,  wrapped  in  paper,  and  kept  in  a  sandal-wood  box 
at  home. 

"  We  have  a  lot  of  palaces  to  do  before  lunch,"  warns 
the  eldest  son,  consulting  his  guide-book. 

The  party  move  on  ;  but  the  youngest  boy  lingers,  darts 
into  the  shop,  and  soon  reappears,  his  countenance  glow- 
ing with  suppressed  mirth. 

"  I  've  bought  Aunt  Jane  a  velvet  gown,"  he  proclaims 
behind  the  back  of  the  unconscious  lady. 

"  Black,  of  course,"  the  eldest  son  assents.  "  Black 
velvet,  with  some  good  antique  lace  and  a  few  brilliants, 
is  the  only  suitable  toilette  for  old  ladies." 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it !  "  exclaims  the  youngest  boy.  "  The 
gown  is  red,  like  grandfather's  waistcoat." 

"  The  ancient  velours  cramoisi,  perhaps,"  murmurs  the 
eldest  son. 

Paterfamilias  chuckles  softly,  and  adds,  — 

"  Aunt  Jane  will  look  like  the  Queen  of  Sheba  !  " 


CHAPTER  XXHI. 

THE   DEATH    SHIP. 

TO  the  stranger  spending  the  summer  months  on  the 
Mediterranean  shore  the  variety  of  the  scene  ever 
outspread  before  his  eyes  is  a  source  of  surprise.  No  two 
sunsets  are  alike,  and  there  is  even  some  element  of  the 
weird  and  gloomy,  or  of  the  fantastic,  in  sheer  extrava- 
gance of  color,  in  the  change  of  clouds  from  evening  to 
evening.  Does  he  anticipate  weeks  of  languid  and  oppres- 
sive heat,  such  as  the  intense  glow  of  the  sun  beating  down 
on  the  yellow  sand  or  arid  rocks  would  seem  to  warrant, 
unrefreshed  by  a  bath  in  tepid  waves  ?  Lo  !  a  libeccio  wind 
begins  to  blow  in  the  night  with  such  violence  that  the  lit- 
tle bathing-establishments  of  the  beach  are  nearly  swept 
away,  and  there  is  no  question  of  bathers  launching  into 
the  sea  for  days,  while  the  danger  flag  flutters  from  the 
summit  of  a  pole.  At  another  time  a  curious  mass  of 
vapor  may  be  idly  watched  by  the  uninitiated  from  a 
balcony,  like  a  rift  of  fog,  without  a  drop  of  rain  falling 
on  the  land,  and  a  water  spout  (tromba  marina)  has 
formed,  just  touched  the  brink  of  shore,  where  the  peo- 
ple are  scattering  in  all  directions,  and  dissolved  out  over 
the  sea.  The  hour  of  dusk  is  as  often  sinister,  murky, 
and  threatening  as  transparent  and  calm,  with  a  silvery 
sea,  a  moon  of  surpassing  splendor,  and  a  firmament 
thickly  sown  with  stars.  In  mid-July  there  may  be  an 
overcast,  gray  sky,  and  the  Mediterranean  fretted,  as  if 


244  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

by  a  coming  gale,  the  broken  masses  of  water  of  a  cold 
green  tint  like  northern  seas,  with  a  black  head  rising 
from  the  spray,  occasionally,  suggestive  of  a  dolphin  or 
a  porpoise,  and  a  large  bird  of  the  diver  species  hovering 
above  the  crest  of  incoming  billows,  with  wings  half  un- 
furled, ready  for  flight.  The  sandy  wastes  of  coast,  the 
sparse  pine-trees,  and  the  neutral  tones  of  the  horizon  give 
the  spot  the  harsh  and  wild  aspect  of  Holland.  Again, 
the  ensuing  day,  by  some  trick  of  change  in  wind  and 
weather,  may  have  a  noontide  of  unmarred  loveliness, 
succeeded  by  a  red  orb  of  setting  sun  resting,  as  it 
were,  on  the  western  brink  of  sea,  with  a  ship  sailing 
across  the  disk  and  pathway  of  crimson  splendor  shed 
over  the  waters,  until  the  prosaic  craft  becomes  trans- 
figured to  a  royal  barge,  with  gilded  sails  and  spars  fit 
for  a  Cleopatra  to  drift  in,  shaded  by  silken  curtains. 
Such  are  some  of  the  features  of  bewitchment  of  the 
summer  sea. 

Toward  the  latter  portion  of  the  month  of  August,  when 
the  hour  of  twilight  is  very  brief,  dark  vapors  often  rise 
from  the  Maremma  beyond  the  Montenero  of  Leghorn  to 
the  southward,  and  the  electric  flashes  of  lightning,  denot- 
ing the  change  of  the  season,  begin  to  sparkle,  ready  to 
smite  many  a  church  tower  and  penetrate  the  hut  of  shep- 
herd and  peasant  in  the  pine  region  around  Pisa. 

A  sultry  evening  of  late  summer  may  possess  these  ele- 
ments :  A  wide  expanse  of  sand  curves  along  the  bend  of 
shore  in  the  distance,  and  rises  into  hillocks  toward  the 
highway,  tufted  with  thistles,  coarse  grass,  and  gray  plants 
laden  with  dust ;  a  murmur  of  voices  indicates  the  camp  of 
a  regiment  of  soldiers  farther  inland,  with  white  tents 
gleaming  among  the  trees ;  and  a  nun,  clad  in  a  cream-col- 
ored woollen  robe,  is  seated  on  the  margin  of  the  waves, 
guarding  a  flock  of  orphan  girls  in  brown  linen  frocks 
and  straw  hats.     Three  other  nuns  pace  the  strand,  de- 


THE   DEATH   SHIT.  245 

serted  at  this  hour,  and  their  black  forms  arc  defined  on 
sea  and  sand  with  the  distinct  outline  of  silhouettes.  The 
sun  has  disappeared  in  a  mass  of  soft  vapors.  Suddenly 
a  ship  with  all  sails  set  appears  near  the  shore.  There  is 
something  startling  in  the  aspect  of  this  craft,  —  a  menace 
of  evil.  It  does  not  move  on  the  current,  and  must  have 
cast  anchor  for  the  night,  while  the  hoisting  of  the  canvas 
is  a  measure  quite  independent  of  the  wind  with  the  prac- 
tical aim  of  drying  the  sheets.  In  the  dusk  the  shore  and 
sea  assume  a  wan  and  lifeless  hue,  after  the  sun,  like  a 
mass  of  molten  copper,  has  shone  amid  the  clouds  in  a 
level  ray  for  a  moment,  as  if  seen  through  a  window,  and 
been  abruptly  quenched.  In  the  succeeding  gloom  the 
spectral  craft  with  the  motionless  sails  becomes  pallid, 
then  black.  The  nun  drives  her  flock  home  for  the  night, 
and  the  camp  of  the  soldiers  is  hushed. 

In  the  hours  of  darkness  the  strange  vessel  haunts  wak- 
ing and  sleeping  thoughts.  On  the  Mediterranean  sea  it 
is  a  shape  of  terror.  In  the  past  it  might  have  been  the 
abode  of  the  pirates  captured  at  Porto  Venere,  in  1230, 
by  the  Genoese,  and  punished  by  having  the  right  hand 
cut  off,  in  spite  of  the  humane  pleading  of  the  Dominican 
monks.  Has  it  brought  the  germ  of  disease  to  these 
shores  from  distant  lands,  —  cholera  from  the  East,  or  yel- 
low fever  from  the  West,  with  death  wafted  to  the  shore 
by  those  wide-spread  sails  ? 

To  Genoa  is  imputed  the  misfortune  of  importing  to 
Europe  the  great  plague  of  1348.  The  mysterious  pesti- 
lence had  its  cradle  in  China,  and  the  Genoese  merchants 
in  the  full  pride  of  their  prosperity  brought  the  fatal  fruit 
of  luxury  to  Sicily  stifled  in  their  cargoes  of  oriental  goods. 
From  Sicily  the  awful  spectre  wandered  forth  over  a  terrified 
world,  slaying  its  thousands,  depopulating  towns,  reaching 
the  far  north,  and  spreading  desolation  on  every  side. 
Of  all  the  sieges  sustained  by  Genoa,  —  Saracen  plunderer, 


246  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

the  Franks  of  The"odebert,  the  Lombards  of  Rotharis,  that 
of  the  Death  Ship  was  the  most  fatal.  Communication 
with  the  Levant  was  interrupted ;  the  shuttles  of  Venice, 
Amalfi,  and  Pisa  ceased  to  ply  across  the  web  as  well ;  and 
although  trade  was  subsequently  resumed,  the  decline  of 
the  Genoese  colonies  seems  associated  with  the  visitation 
of  the  pest.  The  Turks  expelled  the  Italians  in  time. 
One  by  one  those  prizes  of  Genoa,  Pera,  and  Galata  fell, 
until  Mahomet  II.  seized  the  alum  mines  of  Focea,  My- 
telene,  fertile  in  grain,  silk,  and  wine,  and  Chios,  paradise 
of  exquisite  fruits,  oil,  and  the  famous  mastic,  chewed  as 
a  gum  through  the  East  to  render  the  teeth  white,  a  traffic 
yielding  employment  to  twenty-two  villages. 

In  the  morning  the  phantom  vessel  has  vanished. 
Rumor  begins  to  whisper  along  the  telegraph  wire  that 
Egypt  has  enforced  a  quarantine  for  the  Mecca  pilgrims. 
Was  the  haunting  spectre  of  the  twilight  another  Death 
Ship  ? 


THE    FRUIT. 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

A   BEACON   LIGHT. 

THE  astronomer  of  the  household  knocks  on  the  door 
of  the  sluggard  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

"  Oh,  you  drowsy  ones  who  lose  so  much  in  slumber ! 
If  you  wish  to  see  a  comet  over  the  Mediterranean  Sea, 
for  once  in  your  lives  wake  up,  and  look  out  of  the 
window." 

The  suggestion  is  obeyed  in  haste,  and  some  bewilder- 
ment. The  night  is  calm,  cloudless,  and  majestic  in  such 
a  scene.  Genoa  is  outspread  before  the  casement,  with 
long  lines  and  sparkling  cones  of  gas-jets  still  twinkling 
on  the  thoroughfares,  or  about  portals  ;  the  old  Genoa,  in 
shadow,  and  the  modern  squares  garish  with  the  wan, 
unnatural  gleam  shed  abroad  by  electric  globes.  The 
firmament  above,  dark  and  pure,  glitters  here  and  there 
with  constellations  of  surpassing  brilliancy.  Well  may 
the  astronomer  reproach  those  who  miss  the  splendors  of 
the  southern  night  in  yielding  to  sleep,  as  the  petals  of  the 
flowers  have  need  to  close  in  the  hours  of  darkness. 
Beyond  the  port  the  sea,  horizon,  and  sky  softly  blend  in 
an  obscurity  full  of  mystery.  The  comet  is  visible,  a  fiery 
beacon,  as  if  passing  low  over  the  waters.  Vividly  dis- 
tinct to  the  naked  eye,  it  resembles  a  golden  arrow,  with 
a  scintillating  plume  of  train  which  might  be  formed  of 


248  GENOA   THE   SUPERB. 

the  afoms  of  other  star  worlds.  Does  Genoa  regard  the 
advent  of  such  an  erratic,  celestial  wanderer  with  super- 
stitious awe,  as  all  Europe  did  in  earlier  centuries,  when 
the  crusaders  read  terrifying  portents  of  evil  in  the  eclipse 
of  the  moon,  or  the  fall  of  a  meteor  ;  a  ruling  prince  be- 
lieved his  speedy  death  was  announced  by  the  appearance 
of  such  a  messenger  in  the  heavens  ;  and  simple  folk  trem- 
bled in  the  fear  that  the  end  of  the  world  was  at  hand  ? 

An  involuntary  exclamation  of  wonder  and  admiration 
escapes  the  lips  of  the  recently  awakened  spectators. 

"  Sorry  to  disturb  your  nap,"  the  astronomer  remarks 
scornfully. 

The  warning  signal  of  the  lighthouse  flashes  out  over 
the  sea.  At  first  the  dazzled  observer  of  the  comet  did 
not  notice  this  signal  of  earth,  pulsing  forth  in  limpid  rays 
a  welcome  to  the  vessels  on  the  deep ;  but  gradually  thought 
becomes  concentrated  upon  it  and  its  meaning.  As  the 
lighthouse  holds  aloft  its  lamp  to  the  world,  so  is  Genoa 
glorified  by  the  memory  of  the  greatest  of  her  sons, 
Christopher  Columbus.  The  great  navigator  was  the  off- 
spring of  Genoa ;  the  very  developments  of  his  character 
and  career  proclaim  his  origin.  If  the  roots  of  this  remark- 
able Commonwealth  struck  vigorous  fibres  into  the  soil  of 
the  Ligurian  coast  in  the  time  of  Roman  rule,  the  stem  of 
growth  was  nourished  from  sources  of  energetic  enterprise, 
industry,  and  courage  of  no  mean  order,  and  the  flower 
unfolded  all  the  rich  hues  of  the  wealth  and  luxury  of  the 
day  :  Columbus  was  the  fruit,  the  natural  production  of 
such  a  plant.  Having  given  the  noble  discoverer  to  his 
century,  for  the  good  of  two  hemispheres,  Genoa  drooped 
and  withered ;  her  destiny  was  fulfilled. 

In  the  hours  before  dawn,  watching  the  comet  from  the 
window,  those  early  years  of  Columbus  recur  to  the  mind 
with  redoubled  interest. 

Giacomo  Colombo,  in  1311,  dwelt  near  the  Porta  San 


A  BEACON  LIGHT.  249 

Andrea,  and  did  not  lift  his  eyes  from  wool  combing,  as 
far  as  we  know,  to  earn  his  daily  bread.  Domenico 
Colombo,  about  1450,  had  a  shop,  a  house,  and  a  garden  in 
the  same  locality,  and  afterwards  rented  an  abode  of  the 
monks  of  St.  Stephen,  where  he  lived  with  his  wife  Susana 
Fontarossa,  and  his  three  sons,  the  eldest  being  Christo- 
pher. Homespun  wool  may  be  the  enduring  fibre  in  man- 
kind of  which  States  are  formed.  At  Genoa  the  house  of 
Purpurerj  fabricated  scarlet  cloth  in  the  twelfth  century. 
Giovanni  and  Andrea  Purpurerj  had  a  good  reputation  in 
their  time.  A  large  field  near  the  stream  in  the  Val  di 
Bisagno  was  used  to  clean  and  dry  wool.  A  suburb  of  the 
town,  also,  was  named  the  quarter  of  the  lanajuoli  (wool 
workers).  Many  ships  exported  Italian  goods,  tapestries, 
coverlets,  cloths  of  wool  and  hemp  to  Picardy  and  Cham- 
pagne in  France,  even  then. 

One  would  like  to  know  the  meditations  of  Domenico 
Colombo  on  the  stirring  events  transpiring  in  Genoa,  or 
threatening  her  security  from  neighboring  republics,  as  he 
bent  to  his  task  of  wool  combing  or  weaving,  unknown  and 
unnoticed  alike  by  the  leaders  of  party  strife,  or  the  rulers 
of  the  municipality.  Did  he  ever  get  swept  away  from  the 
sobriety  of  daily  routine  by  the  stormy  gusts  of  street 
affrays  and  popular  demonstrations  so  readily  aroused  in 
Genoa  ?  Did  he  bring  home  to  the'  family  meal  of  noonday 
or  evening  the  fiery  excitement  of  irritable  citizens,  chafing 
at  some  wrong  suffered  from  Venice  in  the  East,  or  news  of 
the  latest  act  of  insolence  perpetrated  by  a  young  noble  in 
duel,  or  the  abduction  of  a  fair  woman?  The  wife  and  the 
sons  must  have  listened,  thrilled  with  youthful  sympathy, 
and  transported  by  the  general  emotion  of  the  hour,  if  the 
latter  had  not  actually  taken  part  in  the  tumult,  for  the 
thoroughfare  is  the  favorite  haunt  of  the  Latin  races. 

The  wheel  of  fortune  revolves  with  a  fearful  rapidity  in 
all  lands,  and  in  none  more  swiftly  than  in  Italy,  where 


250  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

your  bootmaker  may  be  of  ancient  lineage,  taught  his  craft 
in  an  orphan  asylum.  The  race  of  Columbus  may  have 
been  superior  to  their  modest  calling,  and  either  exiled 
from  other  territories,  or  ruined  by  conflagration,  the 
razing  of  their  towers  and  palaces,  and  the  rise  of  a  rival 
faction  to  power. 

The  unusual  intelligence  of  the  lad  Christopher  must 
have  expanded  in  the  manifold  influences  about  him.  His- 
torians state  that  although  he  was  sent  to  Pa  via  and  taught 
geometry,  geography,  astronomy,  and  the  astrology  of  that 
day,  apart  from  the  endowment  by  nature  of  a  reflective 
mind  and  a  love  of  study,  his  advantages  were  limited. 
With  all  possible  respect  for  the  soundness  of  these  autho- 
rities, to  the  writer  Columbus  was  born  and  reared  in  one 
of  the  most  wonderful  schools  the  world  then  afforded,  and 
he  was,  in  himself,  the  fruit  of  Genoa.  According  to  Las 
Casas,  his  handwriting  was  so  good  that  he  could  have 
earned  a  support  by  the  accomplishment.  The  awakening 
impulses  of  the  fifteenth  century  were  the  ozone  of  the  air 
he  breathed,  especially  in  geographical  research,  and  the 
renewal  of  interest  in  studying  afresh  Strabo,  Pliny,  and 
Pomponius  Mela.  Columbus  cannot  have  walked  the 
streets  of  Genoa  daily,  and  haunted  the  port,  boy  fashion, 
without  learning  marvellous  facts  on  which  to  ponder  at 
his  leisure.  The  galleys  returned  from  the  Orient  laden 
with  riches,  and  the  mariners  once  more  in  port  surely 
gossiped  of  their  adventures  with  rejoicing  kinsfolk  on 
shore.  Marco  Polo  had  been  imprisoned  in  Genoa,  and 
even  if  he  dictated  his  travels  to  his  fellow-prisoner  Rusti- 
chello  the  Pisan,  with  the  aim  that  "  every  noble  should 
have  a  copy  of  the  manuscript  to  cheer  his  household  in  the 
long  winter,  or  to  amuse  the  poor  women  at  their  embroid- 
ery while  the  men  are  absent  at  the  wars,"  it  is  impossible 
that  the  tradition  of  the  jade-bearing  rivers  of  Khotan, 
the  golden  pagodas  of  Burmah,  and  the  treasures  of  Persia 


A  BEACON  LIGHT.  251 

should  not  reach  the  ear  of  successive  generations  of  Gen- 
oese boys.  Columbus  was  deeply  religious  through  life, 
conforming  to  the  fasts  and  festivals  of  the  Church  with 
zeal,  and  imploring  the  aid  of  the  Holy  Trinity  in  action. 
Was  not  this  temperament  largely  owing  to  early  training 
at  Genoa,  where  the  Madonna  was  frequently  invoked,  the 
Holy  Cross  was  carried  in  processions,  and  bands  of  peni- 
tents clad  in  coarse  linen  or  sackcloth  went  about  town 
and  country  bewailing  a  sinful  world  ?  How  many  times 
the  parents  of  Columbus  may  have  told  him  of  how  Saint 
Bernard  of  Clairvaux,  having  preached  the  Crusades 
with  the  eloquence  for  which  he  was  eminent,  was  offered 
the  Episcopate  of  Genoa  at  Rome,  and  wrote  an  epistle  to 
the  flock,  whose  shepherd  he  was  not  destined  to  become, 
full  of  pious  exhortations  to  send  succor  to  the  Holy  Land, 
and  to  defend  themselves  from  all  heresy  !  Genoa  was 
proud  of  the  possession  of  this  letter,  and  Columbus  very 
possibly  read,  with  his  own  eyes,  on  some  occasion,  the 
lines :  — 

"  O  devout  populace,  glorious  nation,  illustrious  city,  rest 
secure  that  I  can  never,  at  any  time,  forget  you,  but  remember 
me,  and  persevere  in  good  resolutions.  Without  perseverance, 
benevolence  has  no  merit,  courage  deserves  no  praise,  nor 
fidelity  recompense." 

Columbus  remembered  the  need  of  redeeming  the  Holy 
Sepulchre  and  of  converting  all  Gentiles,  in  the  midst  of 
the  success  and  cares  of  discovering  America,  and  exhorted 
the  Spanish  sovereign  to  the  duty  of  making  war  on  the 
Moslem  at  Jerusalem  in  his  last  testament.  Was  not  Genoa 
deeply  imbued  with  the  enthusiasm  of  the  Crusaders  from 
the  beginning  of  the  upheaval  of  European  society  in  that 
movement  of  nations  ?  He  was  visionary,  superstitious, 
and  believed  in  his  own  mission  to  fulfil  some  great  deed 
for  the  faith.     Where  would  a  youth  of  a  similar  tempera- 


252  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

ment  have  imbibed  early  convictions  of  the  kind  more 
readily  than  in  Genoa,  with  her  ancient  churches,  enriched 
by  miracle-working  relics  from  the  East,  her  numerous 
monasteries,  when  Peter  the  Hermit  had  once  traversed 
the  land  on  his  mule,  and,  the  slave  of  a  Genoese  master, 
touching  the  robes  of  Saint  Catherine  of  Siena  been 
healed  of  a  malady  as  the  courageous  nun  journeyed  to 
Avignon  to  persuade  the  Pope  to  return  to  Rome.  He 
dreamed  that  he  had  found  the  mines  of  the  Aureas 
Chersonesus  mentioned  by  Josephus  as  furnishing  the  gold 
used  in  decorating  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem  when  he 
gained  a  knowledge  of  the  mines  of  Veragua.  He  was  a 
Genoese  in  the  sagacity  of  the  aim  of  building  towns, 
planting  the  seeds  of  future  fruit-orchards,  and  sowing 
grain  on  those  lovely,  tropical  islands  of  the  West  Indies, 
as  well  as  in  propitiating  the  natives  by  kind  treatment ;  in 
the  spirit  of  colonization  inherent  in  the  Sea  City,  and  de- 
veloped at  Caffa,  Galata,  St.  John  d'Acre,  and  the  Archi- 
pelago, —  which  marked  his  superiority  of  judgment  to  the 
adventurers  that  flocked  in  his  footsteps,  thwarting  his 
aims  by  plundering  and  enslaving  the  Indians,  and  seeking 
booty  in  every  blooming  paradise  of  palm  grove  and  coral 
inlet.  No  less  was  he  a  Genoese,  of  the  true  merchant 
type,  in  his  keenness  of  search  after  gold  and  pearls,  and 
to  discover  traces  of  the  vicinity  of  the  Spice  Islands  of  the 
Orient  in  the  aromatic  flavor  of  leaves  and  flowers  of  every 
unfamiliar  tree  and  shrub  of  unexplored  shores.  The  most 
significant  fact  of  all  is  that  he  died  without  having  grasped 
the  magnitude  of  his  own  achievement,  as  the  pioneer 
across  a  stormy  main,  his  thoughts  ever  reverting  to  the  firm 
belief  that  he  was  opening  a  new  route  to  the  East,  his 
mind  swinging  around,  as  it  were,  to  the  starting-point  of 
Genoese  industry.  How  true  it  is  that  man's  brain  re- 
presents a  certain  range  of  notes,  beyond  which  at  either 
extremity  there  is  infinite  silence,  like  that  of  Alpine  soli- 


A  BEACON  LIGHT.  253 

tudes.  The  eagerness  of  different  localities  and  families  to 
claim  relationship  with  the  illustrious  navigator  would  be 
amusing  if  it  were  not  so  very  natural  in  the  ways  of  the 
world.  Modena,  Placentia  of  Monferrato  in  Piedmont,  and 
various  portions  of  the  Genoese  territory,  Savona,  Oneglia, 
and  Cogoleto,  has  each  insisted  on  being  accepted  as  his 
birthplace,  while  noble  Italian  Houses  have  not  disdained 
to  recognize  kindred  in  those  quiet  men  carding  or  weav- 
ing wool  near  the  old  gate  of  San  Andrea  at  Genoa,  because 
of  the  fame  of  their  descendant.  How  human  the  yearning 
of  his  own  heart  toward  his  cradle,  "  a  noble  city,  and  power- 
ful on  the  sea,"  and  his  confidence  in  depositing  money  in 
the  Bank  of  St.  George  !  His  letter  from  Seville,  written 
in  1502,  when  about  to  set  sail  on  his  last  voyage,  is  a 
tribute  to  the  Sea  City,  as  well  as  a  further  evidence  of  the 
magnanimity  of  his  own  nature. 

"  Although  my  body  is  here,  my  heart  is  always  with  you. 
God  has  been  more  bountiful  to  me  than  to  any  since  David's 
time.  The  success  of  my  enterprise  is  already  clear,  and 
would  be  still  more  clear  if  the  Government  did  not  cover  it 
with  a  veil.  I  sail  again  for  the  Indies  in  the  name  of  the 
most  Holy  Trinity,  and  I  return  at  once ;  but  as  I  know  I  am 
but  mortal,  I  charge  my  son  Don  Diego  to  pay  you,  yearly 
and  forever,  the  tenth  part  of  all  my  revenues  in  order  to 
lighten  the  toll  on  wine  and  corn.  If  this  tenth  part  is  large, 
you  are  welcome  to  it ;  if  small,  believe  in  my  good  will.  May 
the  most  Holy  Trinity  guard  your  noble  persons,  and  increase 
the  lustre  of  your  distinguished  office." 

Posterity  cannot  estimate  Genoa  as  especially  grateful 
for  this  offer,  while  with  a  singular  obtuseness  of  percep- 
tion she  failed  to  value  Columbus.  Appealed  to,  at  the 
outset,  by  this  son,  she  accorded  him  no  aid  in  fitting  out 
ships,  while  ever  ready  to  place  the  resources  of  her  coffers 
at  the  disposal  of  foreign  princes.      Weakened   by   wars 


254  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

and  the  loss  of  her  colonies,  the  Republic,  once  so  keenly 
sagacious,  does  not  appear  to  have  comprehended  the 
grandeur  of  new  enterprises  in  the  region  of  the  West. 
The  Sea  City  was  gradually  sinking  into  decrepitude,  and 
did  not  wish  to  be  disturbed  by  novel  ideas  and  audacious 
projects.  The  tradition  exists  in  Venice  that  Columbus 
made  there  the  same  appeal,  with  similar  result  of  failure. 
In  the  solemn  watches  of  the  night,  the  contemporary 
portrait  of  the  great  discoverer  acquires  a  vivid  reality. 
Whether  he  sprang  from  the  stock  of  the  guild  of  wool  at 
the  city  gate,  or  shared  the  gentle  blood  of  the  lord  of 
some  castle  of  the  hills,  he  was  one  of  Nature's  noblemen, 
eloquent  in  discourse,  affable  with  strangers,  moderate  in 
apparel  and  diet,  yet  assuming  with  dignity  his  title  of 
Admiral,  and  desirous  to  place  his  sons  in  the  palace  as 
pages  in  the  service  of  the  Queen  of  Spain.  He  was  the 
beacon  light  of  his  era,  guiding  others  over  the  wastes  of 
unknown  waters  farther  than  he  was  empowered  to  realize. 
He  was  more  elevated  of  soul,  more  generous  and  patient 
in  dealing  with  the  foibles  of  his  fellow  creatures  and 
attaining  an  end,  and  more  inventive  of  genius  than  his 
country  people,  just  as  the  fruit  receives  strength  from  the 
root,  mysteriously  transmutes  to  the  uses  of  pulp  and  juices 
the  nourishment  derived  from  the  sap  of  the  stem,  and 
forms  in  the  very  fading  of  the  blossom.  Even  the  career 
of  Columbus  had  a  certain  analogy  with  the  fate  of  his 
native  town  in  a  first  success  that  won  a  brilliant  recog- 
nition, after  years  of  silent  preparation,  the  gradual 
arousing  of  envy,  active  rivalry,  and  the  despoiling  of  first 
conquests,  one  by  one,  with  harassment,  duplicity,  and 
defeat  as  an  end.  The  policy  of  King  Ferdinand  of  Aragon 
is  affirmed  to  have  been  to  sow  distrust  between  Col- 
umbus and  the  Italian  republics,  thus  thwarting  the  latter 
of  sharing  with  Spain  the  prize  of  reaping  treasure  in  a 
new  hemisphere.     If  such  was  his  worldly  wisdom,  he  sue- 


The  Great  Lighthouse. 


A  BEACON  LIGHT.  255 

ceeded  as  fully  as  in  hampering  the  power  of  the  navi- 
gator, as  an  individual,  by  his  own  narrow  and  suspicious 
instincts. 

The  hours  pass ;  the  first  splendor  of  the  comet  wanes, 
and  the  town  sleeps.  The  lighthouse  star  continues  to 
flash  forth  with  a  mechanical  precision,  in  undimmed 
brilliancy.  This  tower  rising  out  of  the  rock  to  the  height 
of  two  hundred  and  forty-seven  feet  from  the  base,  and 
built  in  1547,  forms  a  link  in  the  chain  of  beacons  extend- 
ing to  the  stormy  coasts  of  Normandy  and  Brittany  in 
France,  where  the  substitute  for  modern  complicated  sys- 
tems of  a  central  disk  and  powerful  reflectors  was  pit- 
coal  until  1778,  when  the  innovation  of  lamps  occurred. 
How  separate  Columbus  from  the  Genoese  light  ?  On 
the  other  side,  in  the  most  remote  period  of  antiquity, 
these  signal  flames,  however  fed,  were  the  first  compass  of 
mariners.  The  Pboenicians  erected  lighthouses  in  found- 
ing colonies  to  guide  their  vessels  on  unfamiliar  coasts. 
The  colossus  of  Rhodes  was  long  a  marvel.  In  the  day  of 
Columbus  Genoa  boasted  of  no  such  symmetrical  structure 
as  the  present  one.  We  read  in  1327 :  "  For  the  conve- 
nience of  navigators  a  lantern  was  placed  this  year  on  the 
tower  of  the  Mole." 

Were  not  the  sailors  of  the  entire  coast  his  brothers  ? 
The  seafaring  men  of  Noli,  Savona,  and  Albenga  were 
granted  especial  privileges  for  their  services  in  Palestine, 
while  the  Metropolitan  church  of  Genoa,  San  Lorenzo,  re- 
ceived rents  of  houses  and  the  gift  of  an  entire  city. 

In  addition  to  the  consideration  of  other  characteristics, 
the  statement  made  that  the  sea  had  an  irresistible  attrac- 
tion for  Columbus  from  his  earliest  youth  is  full  of  charm. 
What  more  natural  than  such  an  instinct  in  the  tempera- 
ment of  a  boy  of  Liguria  ?  The  longing  of  all  Italians 
from  the  Alps  to  Mount  Etna  is  said  to  be  to  gain  the 
Adriatic  billows,  or  the  Mediterranean  strand.     The  Sici- 


256  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

lian  Folk-songs  tell  of  a  palace  built  of  peacock  plumes, 
with  a  balcony  set  with  gems,  near  the  sea,  in  the  north  of 
the  island,  while  Messina  may  troll  of  a  little  garden,  full 
of  flowers,  and  lapped  by  the  waves. 

The  writer  of  these  pages  has  seen  a  plain,  middle-aged 
man  of  studious  aspect,  native  of  an  inland  town,  the  wish 
of  whose  heart  was  fulfilled  by  gaining  the  shore,  yield  to 
the  transports  of  delight  and  extravagances  of  a  seeming 
lunatic.  He  laughed,  he  raved,  and  he  patted  the  limpid 
summer  waves  with  his  hand,  as  if  he  were  caressing  some 
beautiful  creature,  while  the  bronzed  fishermen  looked  on, 
half  sympathetically  and  wholly  derisively. 

"  It  is  like  that  when  one  has  not  a  good  mouthful  of 
sea  air  from  year's  end  to  year's  end,  only  grass  and  dust. 
Bah  !  "  remarked  a  burly  bath  man,  with  a  red  sash  around 
his  waist,  and  his  bare  feet  in  the  hot  sand  of  the  beach. 

The  sea  was  the  siren  that  kindled  the  ardent  imagina- 
tion of  Columbus  in  youth,  and  the  spell  endured  in  sober 
maturity.  The  Mediterranean,  in  her  robes  of  azure,  veiled 
in  misty  draperies  of  golden  sunshine,  beckoned  her  votary 
westward,  with  the  murmured  refrain  :  "  I  am  only  a  land- 
locked basin,  but  beyond  the  narrow  gateway  of  the  Gibral- 
tar Straits  stretches  a  boundless  main.  Seek  new  realms ! 
Sail  towards  an  unexplored  horizon ! " 

Did  the  siren  ever  lead  him,  in  fancy,  below  the  crystal 
waves  to  explore  the  recesses  of  her  home,  amidst  the 
shadowy  forests  of  fucus,  where  the  mollusk  dwells,  and 
many-hued  fish  abound,  the  rays,  the  soles,  the  pilot,  and 
anchovy  that  are  captured  in  the  fisherman's  toils  ?  Did 
these  prepare  Columbus  for  the  rainbow-tinted  inhabitants 
of  the  West  Indian  waters  ?  Were  all  the  wonders  of  the 
Mediterranean  strand  and  a  seaport  like  Genoa  readily 
assimilated  by  him  ;  or  did  he  view  them  through  the  varie- 
gated kaleidoscope  of  boyish  fancy,  a  fantastic  blending  of 
fairy  tale  and  the  images  of  sleep, —  for  Marco  Polo  had  once 


A  BEACON  LIGHT.  257 

been  a  prisoner  here,  and  daily  charmed  his  captors  by 
his  narrations  ?  Self-taught  in  many  branches  of  knowledge 
which  aided  him  in  his  researches  later,  he  may  have 
formulated  in  his  own  thought,  dimly  and  incompletely,  the 
harmonious  adjustment  of  Nature,  far  in  advance  of  Ber- 
nardin  de  Saint-Pierre,  who  wrote  centuries  later :  — 

"  What  industries  man  has  developed  in  the  divers  oceans 
that  border  on  the  seas !  Most  of  the  arts  have  there  been 
born.  The  ocean  of  the  air,  by  means  of  drops  of  rain  sus- 
pended on  the  threads  of  the  spider's  web,  gave  him  the  idea  of 
the  microscope  ;  the  ocean  of  ice,  by  its  floating  and  trans- 
parent masses,  the  magnifying  glass  which  remits  the  sun's 
rays,  and  from  prisms  breaks  them  into  a  thousand  hues  ;  the 
subterranean  ocean,  whose  filaments  of  moisture,  trickling 
through  the  sand,  he  gathered  into  the  wells  he  bored  in  the 
earth  ;  in  tranquil  waters  he  found  the  mirror  with  its  reflections, 
and  in  flowing  currents  the  motive  power  to  turn  machinery  ; 
the  agitated  waves  of  the  maritime  ocean,  breaking  on  the  rocks, 
he  imitated  in  the  falling  and  sparkling  fountains  of  his  gar- 
dens. It  was  on  the  margin  of  the  seas  that  man  noticed  and 
adapted  the  rich  purple  color  of  the  murex  shell ;  the  silk  of 
the  byssus  of  the  mussel ;  wove  his  nets  after  the  pattern  of 
the  interlacing  marine  plants  ;  took  the  shape  of  the  wheels  of 
his  mills  and  his  chariots  from  the  sea-hedgehog  rolling  on  his 
prickly  spines  ;  those  of  the  file,  the  saw,  the  ladder,  helmets, 
shields,  lances,  and  all  kinds  of  armor,  from  the  covering  of 
the  crustaceans.  There  he  invented,  after  nautical  forms,  and 
even  the  names  of  amphibious  birds  and  shells,  the  small  canoe, 
the  long  boat,  the  galley,  and  the  frigate.  There  is  nothing  in 
the  arts  of  men  which  is  not  modelled  on  Nature,  and  of  which 
the  form  may  not  be  found  in  the  waters." 

Was  Columbus  already  pondering  on  this  inexhaustible 
problem  of  sun,  air,  and  water  combining  to  produce  ani- 
mal and  mineral  substances,  as  well  as  what  were  the 
actual  limits  of  the  kingdom  of  the  sea,  while  his  father 

17 


258  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

wielded  the  shuttle  of  daily  toil,  and  his  mother  prepared 
the  evening  meal  ? 

As  you  gaze  forth  from  the  window,  the  lighthouse 
signal  glows  with  its  unceasing  warning  of  danger  to  the 
ships,  while  the  town  fades  into  indistinguishable  shadow, 
and  the  sea  gradually  encroaches  on  all  objects.  The 
liquid  element  pervades  the  surface  of  the  space  visible, 
the  incoming  flood  flowing  gently  over  the  rocks  and  sand. 
Neither  sun  nor  moon  sparkle  on  this  neutral  expanse, 
but  only  occasional  gleams  of  phosphorescence,  and  yet  the 
ripples  acquire,  as  you  look,  a  sheen  of  exquisite  delicacy. 
Is  it  the  first  promise  of  dawn  ?  A  waste  of  surges  reaches 
to  the  horizon,  unruffled  by  the  breath  of  tempest,  and 
stirred  by  faint,  half  articulate  murmurs  of  motion  that 
seem  the  whispered  messengers  of  distant  shores. 

The  Mediterranean  was  the  cradle  of  early  civilization, 
and  emblem  to  the  inhabitants  of  adjacent  countries  of  all 
phases  of  beauty  and  fertility  in  the  three  million  square 
miles  of  country  encompassing  it.  The  dark  line  of  re- 
mote distance,  here  revealed,  and  there  obliterated  by 
shadow,  may  be  accepted  as  signifying  the  junction  of 
three  continents.  Will  Leviathan  rise  out  of  the  deep  at 
such  an  hour  ?  Is  that  black  object  distinctly  visible 
yonder  the  horribly  suggestive  fin  of  one  of  the  shark 
tribe,  the  sinister  brood  launched  on  the  Mediterranean  by 
the  opening  of  the  Suez  Canal  to  haunt  the  Island  of 
Capri,  or  the  swimming-schools  established  on  the  Adri- 
atic ?  Monsters  have  ever  lurked  beneath  those  blue 
waves.  In  August,  1504,  the  city  records  of  Genoa  note 
that  while  some  boys  were  bathing  near  San  Guiliano  di 
Albaro,  a  fish  of  the  shark  species  devoured  the  young 
Moorish  slave  of  Aloise   Giberto. 

Rendered  more  lively  by  the  spirit  of  the  age,  fancy  the 
well-to-do  Father  Shark  inviting  his  wife  and  children  to 
quit   their   comfortable   home    in   the    surf  of  the   turtle 


A  BEACON  LIGHT.  259 

haunted  coral-reefs  of  the  Red  Sea  on  a  voyage  through 
the  Suez  Canal  into  alien  waters.  In  event  of  the  Father 
Shark  proving  to  be  the  identical  traveller  slain  at  Mas- 
sowah  several  summers  ago,  and  rejoiced  over  by  the 
entire  population  that,  after  making  a  breakfast  of  two 
little  negroes  bathing  near  the  custom-house,  not  to  men- 
tion the  limb  of  a  fisherman  who  had  striven  to  disturb 
the  repast,  appetite  did  not  fail  him  before  hooks  attached 
to  an  iron  chain  and  artfully  baited  with  smoked  pork,  the 
widowed  Mother  Shark  might  have  pursued  her  journey 
into  the  Mediterranean.  A  return  to  native  land  amid 
the  Red  Sea  shoals  would  have  been  too  sad  under  the 
circumstances.  At  all  events  such  a  female  fish  was  seen 
off  Ancona,  accompanied  by  a  school  of  seven  young 
ones,  from  which  it  must  be  inferred  that  she  brought 
several  nephews  and  nieces  in  the  tourist  party.  In  the 
balance  of  nature  the  worthy  tunny-fish  swims  into  the 
inland  sea  by  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar  with  such  extraordi- 
nary velocity,  and  fatuity  in  rushing  to  destruction,  that 
the  rejoicing  populations  of  the  shores  cherish  the  belief 
that  he  sees  only  out  of  one  eye.  He  is  in  too  much  haste 
to  exchange  the  time  of  day  with  the  flying-fish  he  is  sure 
to  meet  on  his  passage.  Hapless  tunny,  never  to  learn 
wisdom !  Large,  fat,  with  firm,  nutritious  flesh  and 
generous  red  blood,  praised  as  a  delicacy  even  by  Lucullus, 
your  enemies  are  ready  off  Toulon,  Sardinia,  and  Corsica 
to  seize  so  rich  a  prize,  and  dye  the  waters  with  the  brutal 
butchery  of  the  slain  !  Apparently  the  aim  of  the  tunny 
is  to  be  caught,  salted,  pickled,  or  potted  in  his  own  oil,  in 
little  tin  cans  for  breakfast.  There  is  a  mediaeval  asso- 
ciation in  addition  to  a  classical  one  with  this  useful 
creature.  A  certain  queen  of  Portugal  questioned  her  son 
the  prince  on  his  return  from  visiting  England  (much  as 
royal  young  gentlemen  go  to  the  London  season,  in  our 
day),  as  to  the  strange  habits  of  the  natives  of  the  British 


260  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

Isles,  especially  in  the  matter  of  consuming  large  quanti- 
ties of  meat.  As  the  culmination  of  her  naive  astonish- 
ment, she  exclaims,  "  What!  Do  they  not  even  eat  tunny 
stewed  with  raisins,  prunes,  and  figs?"  Our  blundering 
and  precipitate  monster  continues  to  seek  the  impov- 
erished Mediterranean,  for  the  good  of  mankind,  and  the 
fisheries  of  Isola  Piana  and  Porto  Scuso  prepare  the 
madragas  for  a  mantanza  (a  slaughter).  Thus  the  tunny 
has  ever  been  the  accepted  embodiment  of  obtuseness,  not 
to  say  foolishness,  even  if  the  Carthaginians  pronounced 
the  flavor  of  his  flesh  fit  for  the  gods.  When  Pisistratus 
usurped  the  power  as  tyrant  of  Athens,  Amphilytus,  the 
prophet  of  Acarnania,  uttered  the  warning  :  "  The  cast  is 
thrown,  and  the  net  is  spread  ;  by  the  moonlight  the 
tunnies  will  rush  in." 

When  Pope  Martin  IV.  was  at  Orvieto,  a  seal  was  caught 
in  the  sea,  and  carried  to  the  Papal  court.  It  cried  la- 
mentably, and  refused  to  be  comforted,  — as  well  it  might, 
poor  beast!  Either  the  fact  of  catching  an  unusual 
species  in  the  kingdom  of  such  small  fry  as  the  anchovy, 
or  the  unhappiness  of  the  seal  on  land,  was  accepted  as  a 
presage  of  evil  for  the  recipients. 

Columbus  surely  played  the  truant  on  more  than  one 
occasion,  in  his  early  years,  when  the  townsfolk  were 
abroad  to  enjoy  the  evening  hours  in  the  streets  or  along 
the  shore,  and  sought  some  isolated  nook  to  gaze  at  the 
sea  in  the  twilight,  and  listen  to  the  seductive  voice  of  the 
waves.  Then  the  Mediterranean  siren  urged  him  to  con- 
fide his  life  and  fortunes  to  her  keeping,  and  she  would 
bear  him  forth  into  a  new  universe.  The  softened  cadences 
of  the  sea  falling  rhythmically  on  his  ear  in  the  pulsing 
ebb  and  flow  of  waters,  awakened  the  first  impulses  of  a 
vague  yet  limitless  ambition,  and  conviction  of  the  gran- 
deur of  his  own  destiny.  What  reveries  the  young  Colum- 
bus must  have  had,  loitering  in  one  of  the  miniature  coves 


A  BEACON  LIGHT.  261 

of  the  Riviera,  beyond  the  walls  of  ancient  Genoa,  on 
a  summer  night,  the  brimming  crystal  shield  of  sea  out- 
spread at  his  feet,  while  above  garden  terraces  extended  up 
the  hillside,  fragrant  with  orange,  lemon,  and  jasmine.  A 
fragile  fleet  of  the  nautilus  may  have  passed  before  his 
imagination,  with  delicate  membrane  raised  to  catch  a 
favorable  zephyr,  and  pearly  shallop  of  shell  breasting  the 
current  valiantly  for  a  time,  then  instinct  furling  the  sail, 
and  the  living  craft  sinking  to  silent  depths  once  more. 

Mythological  elements  must  have  mingled  largely  with 
his  religious  belief  in  miracles,  and  the  power  of  sundry 
saints.  Italy  is  still  permeated  by  Greek  influences,  usually 
in  the  form  of  festivals  of  harvest  rejoicings  and  spring 
sowing,  grafted  later  on  the  Church  calendar.  Such  a 
reminiscence  of  Pagan  observance  is  the  Car  of  Ceres, 
annually  fired  in  the  space  between  the  Baptistery  and  the 
Duomo  at  Florence,  on  Holy  Saturday.  The  Genoese  in 
their  intercourse  with  remote  countries  as  merchants  and 
sailors  must  have  acquired  a  larger  store  of  picturesque 
tradition  than  other  cities  not  equally  favored,  apart  from 
any  branches  of  instruction  of  the  time.  Imagine  Jack 
Tar  of  that  epoch,  just  returned  from  Alexandria,  telling 
a  wide-eyed  lad  named  Christopher  Columbus,  on  the  Mole, 
with  bluff  good-nature,  all  about  the  Phoenicians  coasting 
from  island  to  island  within  the  Persian  Gulf,  on  rafts 
formed  of  trees  washed  down  from  Mount  Lebanon  before 
the  human  mind  had  grasped  the  idea  of  fashioning  a  log 
like  the  dolphin,  with  propelling  gear  of  rudder  tail  and  fins, 
giving  it  the  form  of  a  shell  and  the  wings  of  a  bird  ;  or 
the  round  Assyrian  craft  made  of  leather,  with  ribs  of  the 
willow  that  grew  in  Armenia  above  Babylon,  lined  with 
reeds,  and  freighted  with  palm  wine,  to  steer  down  stream 
to  market,  by  means  of  two  spars,  and  the  cargo  and  hides 
sold  at  auction,  the  other  gear  packed  on  the  back  of  asses 
to  return  home  ;  or  that  the  first  trident  of  Neptune  was 


262  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

forged  as  an  implement  of  fishing.  Possibly  the  ancient 
Egyptian  fete  of  Artemis  at  Bubastis  was  described,  at  which 
the  boats  used  were  built  of  wood  from  the  Gulf  of  Arabia 
and  the  Indian  Seas,  gilded  and  carved,  the  sails  em- 
broidered, a  rich  purple  pavilion  erected  in  the  centre,  and 
a  banner  surmounted  by  a  sphinx.  How  did  the  Genoese 
mariner  spin  his  yarn  without  a  quid  of  tobacco  thrust  in 
his  cheek  to  assist  speech  ?  He  certainly  enjoyed  no  such 
aid  to  loquacity,  for  Columbus  had  not  yet  visited  America 
to  fetch  him  back  the  solace  of  mankind. 

In  those  evening  musings  beside  the  deep  Columbus 
assuredly  felt,  with  the  Greeks,  all  the  spiritual  beauty  of 
the  sea.  "The  sea  washes  off  all  the  woes  of  man,"  said 
Euripides.  The  old  Greek  fables,  colored  by  the  narrator 
with  all  the  rich  hues  of  sunset  clouds,  must  have  lingered 
along  the  Genoese  Riviere,  like  the  echo  of  a  familiar 
song.  For  Columbus,  the  God  Dionysius  of  the  Homeric 
hymn,  a  beautiful  and  richly  clad  youth,  again  stood  on  the 
seashore,  to  be  seized  by  the  Tyrrhenian  pirates,  bound, 
and  carried  on  board  of  their  vessel.  Only  the  pious 
steersman  of  the  crew  recognized  the  true  divinity  of  the 
captive.  Then  sweet-scented  wine  flowed  forth  on  the  sur- 
rounding waters,  tendrils  of  the  vine  and  ivy  leaves 
bloomed  on  the  mast  and  sails,  while  garlands  wreathed 
the  oar-pegs.  Dionysius  spurned  his  fetters,  and  succes- 
sively assumed  the  terrible  shapes  of  a  bear  and  a  lion, 
pursuing  the  pirates  until  they  leaped  overboard,  and  were 
changed  into  fishes.  The  pious  steersman  was  left. 
Arion,  the  famous  lyric  poet  and  musician,  who  journeyed 
to  Sicily,  acquiring  great  wealth  by  his  music,  and  on  his 
return  to  Greece  had  the  sailors  of  the  Corinthian  ship  on 
which  he  embarked  conspire  to  rob  and  drown  him,  played 
his  one  tune  accorded  before  death,  seated  on  the  poop,  to 
Columbus,  before  springing  into  the  waves,  where  an  oblig- 
ing dolphin,  attracted  by  his  sweet  strains  of  song,  took 


A   BEACON  LIGHT.  263 

him  on  its  back  safe  to  Tanarus.  Orpheus  struck  his  lyre 
ior  the  Genoese  youth  on  the  voyage  of  the  Argonauts  not 
more  to  subdue  the  discords  of  the  elements  than  in  sym- 
pathetic accord  with  the  later  religious  superstitions  of  all 
navigators,  invoking  Pan,  the  Nereids,  or  Castor  and  Pollux, 
as  the  crew  on  the  menacing  Atlantic  besought  the  aid  of 
Saint  Elmo  when  the  baleful  flicker  of  his  fires  played 
around  the  yard-arms  in  the  gathering  tempest.  The 
Dioscuri,  with  a  star  on  the  brow,  signifying  astronomy 
and  nautical  arts,  and  their  statue  in  the  port  of  Samo- 
thrace,  as  protectors  of  sailors,  had  yielded  their  place  to 
the  Madonna,  with  Genoese  mariners.  The  female  divinity 
may  also  be  accepted  as  another  modification  of  the  ancient 
worship  of  Rhea,  mother  earth,  by  those  "  sons  of  the  sea," 
the  inhabitants  of  the  large  islands  of  the  Archipelago, 
Rhodes,  Crete,  and  Cyprus,  to  whom  the  education  of 
Neptune  was  confided.  The  Greek  boats  had  movable 
masts  and  oars,  the  prow  ornamented  with  the  figure  of  an 
animal,  and  the  poop  with  a  sacred  effigy.  Was  Columbus 
capable  of  linking  together  in  his  own  mind  all  those  hon- 
orable hulks  associated  with  national  glory  from  the  ship 
of  Theseus,  in  which  the  hero  returned  from  Crete  to 
Athens,  after  slaying  the  Minotaur,  preserved  by  the 
Athenians,  with  new  timbers,  and  sent  every  year  to  Delos 
for  the  sacrifice,  the  priest  of  Apollo  adorning  the  stern 
with  flowers,  to  the  Venetian  Bucentaure,  and  dismantled 
frigates  of  modern  nations  ? 

What  voyages  the  lad  must  have  taken,  thought  the 
swift-winged  Mercury  !  Doubtless  he  launched  in  command 
of  those  Phoenician  fleets  that  rapidly  developed  from  the 
tree  rafts,  audaciously  seeking  the  Gulf  of  Arabia,  the 
coast  of  Ethiopia,  and  the  Nile,  in  trade,  in  one  direction, 
or  exploring  the  Adriatic,  the  shores  of  Thrace,  the  Islets 
of  the  iEgean  Sea,  without  chart  or  compass,  in  the  other. 
Phoenicia  had  intercourse  with  all  nations,  receiving  wheat, 


26-4  GENOA   THE   SUPERB. 

honey,  balin,  oil,  and  gums  from  Judea,  wines  and  wools 
from  Damascus,  linen,  purple,  and  silk  from  Syria,  gold 
and  perfumes  from  the  land  of  Saba,  slaves  and  horses 
from  Greece,  tin,  lead,  and  iron  from  Carthage,  and  ivory 
and  ebony  from  Ethiopia.  Doubtless  he  floated,  in  all  the 
transient  glory  of  assumed  pomp,  on  the  pleasure  craft  of 
the  Emperor  Caligula,  with  silk  sails,  the  poop  enriched 
with  gold  work  and  precious  stones,  arbors,  a  pavilion,  and 
a  garden.  This  caprice  of  a  ruler  did  not  change  the 
policy  of  Rome  in  disdaining  to  build  ships  of  war,  and 
making  her  vassals  serve  in  maritime  combats,  Carthage 
first,  and  the  little  Italian  republics  later. 

In  the  lightning  flashes  of  a  passing  storm  the  Tyrian 
fire-ship  may  have  threatened  Liguria  instead  of  the  Mace- 
donians, with  the  projecting  arms  of  two  masts  on  the  prow 
holding  swinging  caldrons  which  scattered  burning  sulphur, 
bitumen,  resinous  torches,  and  other  combustibles  on  the 
wind. 

To  muse  on  the  argosies  of  those  early  voyagers  was 
easy,  with  the  jasmine  and  orange  blossoms  scenting  the 
warm  air,  when  Attica  had  her  ceramic  art,  Corinth  her 
brass,  Etruria  her  mirrors  and  wrought  candelabra,  Sidon 
her  dyes,  and  Egypt  her  papyrus.  The  Mediterranean  had 
been  an  unexplored  lake  for  Italians  to  the  tenth  century, 
with  the  exception  of  Rome,  stated  in  547  to  have  ex- 
panded the  industry  of  ship-building  thus :  Chiusi  and 
Perugia  furnished  fir-trees,  Populonia  iron,  the  inhabitants 
of  Tarquinia  sails,  Volterra  armaments  and  rigging,  and 
Arczzo  thirty  thousand  weapons,  consisting  of  the  swords, 
lances,  and  javelins  for  forty  ships,  with  provisions  for 
troops  and  rowers.  Nautical  interests  being  uncongenial 
to  Roman  military  power,  Pisa  was  made  a  sentinel  of  such 
interests  at  this  date. 

Even  more  absorbing  to  all  faculties,  the  long  line  of 
Genoese  shipping  would  entice  sober  judgment  on  the  part 


A   BEACON  LIGHT.  265 

of  a  truant  from  home,  and  a  dreamer  down  on  the  shore 
in  the  fall  of  night.  The  galley  of  937  would  be  a  not  un- 
familiar form  to  him,  with  a  spur,  or  Roman  beak, at  the 
extremity  of  the  prow,  a  mast  of  oak  terminating  in  a  spike 
of  iron  or  bronze,  similar  to  the  tip  of  a  lance  and  with 
three  smaller  points  below,  while  the  poop  and  bows 
formed  two  high  castles,  one  in  front  and  one  in  the  rear, 
having  the  benches  of  the  rowers  in  the  centre.  Before 
a  battle  the  forward  castle  had  two  movable  towers  of 
wood  to  be  adjusted  at  pleasure.  When  laden  with  troops 
and  machines  of  war,  the  castle  of  the  poop,  named  by  the 
Arabs  the  fortress,  could  be  closed  and  secured  by  means 
of  a  grating  deemed  the  last  defence.  The  parapet  was 
protected  by  leather,  cork,  or  wool,  and  to  one  mast  was 
suspended  many  heavy  hooks  to  carry  off  a  smaller  craft, 
or  board  an  equal.  The  banner  fluttered  from  a  flagstaff 
of  wood  at  the  back  of  the  poop  with  the  earliest  design  of 
a  castle  with  three  towers.  There  were  two  kinds  of 
galleys  then  employed  by  the  Genoese,  one  called  swift 
and  light,  to  frequent  shallow  waters,  and  the  other  large 
and  heavy,  for  battle  and  long  voyages.  The  difference  of 
build  consisted  in  the  more  fragile  vessel  having  one  deck, 
while  the  other  had  two,  with  a  bench  of  oarsmen  for  each. 
In  an  engagement  the  towers,  the  machines,  and  the  crew 
all  served  on  the  upper  deck.  The  development  of  the 
science  of  navigation  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
traits  in  the  energetic  character  of  Genoa,  and  was  plainly 
outspread  before  the  eyes  of  Columbus  from  his  birth. 
The  galley  of  the  crusades  had  at  first  a  single  deck  of 
rowers,  then  two,  then  three  to  the  thirteenth  century, 
and  finally  five.  Vessels  nearly  round  were  used  for  mer- 
chandise, and  armed  in  case  of  need,  and  received  the 
name  of  castellated  cock-boats.  The  greatest  activity  had 
prevailed  during  those  earlier  centuries.  Genoa  is  de- 
scribed  as   more    of   an  arsenal  than  a  city.     Long  and 


266  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

slender  oars,  not  in  use,  were  suspended  on  the  facade  of 
seignorial  mansions,  through  the  massive  irpn  rings  nec- 
essary to  hold  them, — as  the  Strozzi  and  Riccardi  palaces 
of  Florence  had  metal  sockets  and  rings  for  the  wax 
torches  of  festivals  attached  to  the  rough  exterior  ma- 
sonry, —  and  other  houses  had  the  machicolated  parapet 
which  was  the  privilege  of  a  family  owning  a  galley  at  sea. 
The  galleys  and  the  cock-boats  prepared  to  enter  on  war- 
like enterprises ;  the  ancient  craft  of  battle,  the  Taride, 
were  utilized  to  carry  troops  and  cavalry ;  the  archers 
were  drilled  to  take  a  front  rank,  and  the  porters  has- 
tened about  the  town  distributing  orders.  The  same  in- 
dustry extended  to  both  shores,  where  the  ships  built  at 
Varazze  and  Finale  were  much  esteemed.  In  the  colonies 
the  trade  had  branches,  and  many  master-builders  took 
their  families  to  reside  with  them  on  the  shores  of  the 
Bosphorus  and  in  the  Crimea.  The  French  marine  was 
indebted  to  Genoese  workmen  from  the  reign  of  Philip 
Augustus  to  Francis  I.  ;  the  English  received  their  aid  in 
the  time  of  Henry  VIII.,  and  Spain  and  Portugal  to  the 
date  of  Philip  II.  and  the  Armada  sent  in  quest  of  these 
builders.  The  Genoese  evinced  a  superior  intelligence  in 
constantly  improving  the  types  of  all  sea  implements, 
making  their  sails  square,  or  triangular,  modifying  the 
oars,  rendering  more  stanch  the  masts  and  strong  the 
cordage.  They  studied  thoroughly  the  situations  of  coast, 
the  perils  of  shoals  and  rocks,  the  direction  of  the  winds, 
the  stars,  and  meteors. 

The  Polar  star,  as  apparently  immovable,  was  long  the 
guide  of  the  Mediterranean  sailor,  who  made  port  every 
night  in  fear  of  clouds,  and  ceased  to  navigate  from  No- 
vember to  February.  The  Genoese  in  due  time  availed 
themselves  of  the  armillary  sphere  which  reproduced  the 
planetary  system,  the  lines  of  longitude  and  latitude  be- 
ing determined  with  the  situation  of  places  by  means  of 


A  BEACON  LIGHT.  2b7 

the  astrolabe,  a  species  of  copper  ring  first  adopted  by  the 
Arabs  to  determine  the  height  of  the  pole  and  its  cor- 
responding point,  and  various  nautical  charts,  that  il- 
lustrated the  sea,  the  shape  of  the  earth,  and  indicated 
the  course  of  different  winds,  as  well  as  the  invention  of 
the  compass.  Maps  were  designed  by  the  Genoese  from 
a  remote  date  of  marine  enterprise.  Nine  of  these  tables 
in  the  Imperial  Library  at  Vienna  have  inscribed  on  them 
a  Latin  sentence  to  the  effect  that  Pietro  Visconti  of 
Genoa  made  them  a.  d.  1318.  The  name  of  Visconti  was 
not  rare  at  Genoa.  Giovanni  Battista  Visconti,  the 
father  of  the  celebrated  Ennio  Quirino  Visconti,  and  au- 
thor of  the  first  volume  on  the  antique  marbles  of  the 
Pio  Cleinentino  Museum  of  Rome,  was  born  on  the  eastern 
Riviera.  In  the  Laurentian  Library  of  Florence,  also, 
there  are  eight  similar  tablets  believed  to  be  the  work  of 
a  Genoese  in  1351.  Antonio  Pessagno  was  appointed 
seneschal  of  Edward  II.  in  Gascogny  over  the  shipping 
of  the  province,  while  Niccolo  Usodimare  was  given  by 
the  same  king  the  grade  of  vice-admiral  of  his  armament 
in  the  Duchy  of  Aquitaine.  Giovanni  Doria  and  Niccolo 
Bianchi  had  the  safe  conduct  of  the  galleys  in  Scotch 
waters  to  escort  the  vessels  and  munitions  of  England. 
Before  the  taking  of  Cyprus,  Pietro  Fregoso  obtained  the 
command  of  twelve  ships  fitted  out  at  Genoa,  at  the  ex- 
pense of  Edward  II.,  and  Gregorio  Usodimare  and  Oberto 
Gaj  agreed  to  serve  for  the  term  of  one  year,  with  two 
gentlemen  lieutenants,  fifty  crossbowmen,  and  fifty  ma- 
riners. History  further  records  that  two  members  of  the 
Mari  family,  two  of  the  Cicala,  one  Doria,  and  a  Fregoso 
were  admirals  and  captains-general  in  Naples  and  Sicily  ; 
a  Piccamiglio  ruled  in  Cyprus ;  Andrea  Moresco  held  office 
at  Constantinople  under  Andronico  II. ;  Biscarello  Giolli  in 
Persia  was  ambassador  to  the  Christian  powers  from  Hassan; 
Jacopo  Adorno  had  rank  in  Aragon,  and  Egidio  Boccanegra 
in  Castile.     The  great  Andrea  Doria  was  not  yet  born. 


2G8  GENOA   THE   SUPERB. 

Such  was  the  school  of  Christopher  Columbus.  Did 
the  boy  on  the  beach  experience  some  vague  disappoint- 
ment and  flagging  of  spirit,  even  in  the  midst  of  the  flush 
of  victory,  and  the  intoxicating  schemes  of  acquiring 
riches  which  must  have  teemed  in  the  brain  of  every 
Genoese,  the  hoard  of  musk,  gold-dust,  pearls,  and  spices 
brought  back  on  prosperous  voyages,  or  even  another 
emerald  Sacro  Catino  than  the  treasure  of  the  Church  of 
San  Lorenzo,  which  might  not  prove  glass,  like  the  cylinder 
tinted  with  cunningly  blended  oxides,  containing  a  lamp 
inserted  by  the  priests  in  the  temple  of  Melkarth  at  Tyre 
described  by  Herodotus?  Did  he  find  the  sphere  of  inter- 
est too  narrow  and  long  for  a  wider  horizon  ?  If  so,  he 
was  not  the  first.  In  1291  Tedisio  Doria  fitted  out  two 
galleys  for  the  brothers  Vivaldi,  who  cherished  a  plan  of 
reaching  Asia  from  the  west,  the  intervening  continent 
of  America  being  unsuspected.  Accompanied  by  two 
Franciscan  monks,  these  courageous  explorers  sailed  on 
their  quest  two  hundred  years  in  advance  of  Columbus, 
and  vanished  forever,  engulfed  by  the  storm,  or  wrecked 
on  the  coast  of  Africa. 

In  all  the  ship  building  going  on  about  his  cradle  no  one 
thought  of  equipping  Columbus.  The  trees  of  the  Cilician 
forests,  near  Tarshish,  granted  to  Cleopatra  by  Antony, 
and  the  timber  of  Cyprus,  adapted  to  furnish  alike  the 
heaviest  keel  and  the  lightest  spar,  were  not  for  him. 
Possibly  a  Genoese  in  the  service  of  Spain  welded  the 
rivets  holding  together  three  renowned  little  vessels,  with 
their  precious  human  burden,  only  fit  for  river  coasting,  and 
undecked,  all  save  one,  yet  destined  to  cross  the  ocean. 

Darkness  of  night  enveloped  sea  and  earth,  and  across 
the  space  of  horizon  flitted  the  ghostly  semblance  of  three 
cockle-shells,  the  Nina,  the  Pinta,  and  the  Santa  Maria. 

Columbus  impatiently  tossed  aside  the  weaver's  shuttle 
and  became  a  follower  of  the  sea.     His  as;e  is  stated  to 


A  BEACON  LIGHT.  269 

have  been  fourteen  years.  The  event  occasioned  no  emo- 
tion in  his  native  city, — was,  indeed,  probably  unknown  be- 
yond the  limits  of  the  family  circle,  —  and  vet  was  one  of 
the  most  momentous  in  her  history.  Another  Genoese 
boy  had  become  a  sailor, — that  was  all.  Of  his  career 
very  slight  threads  remain,  except  that  he  took  part  in 
wars,  and  voyaged  in  the  interests  of  commerce  for  many 
years,  until  the  metal  of  manhood  was  well  tempered  in 
him.  In  1458,  King  Alfonso  of  Spain  left  the  States  of 
Spain  to  John,  son  of  old  King  Re"ne  of  Provence,  and 
Naples  to  the  illegitimate  Ferdinand.  The  Aragonese 
rebelled ;  Duke  John  was  forced  to  enter  into  combat 
to  attempt  to  gain  possession  of  his  inheritance,  and 
sailed  for  Liguria,  with  twenty-six  armed  ships,  chiefly 
furnished  by  Genoa.  The  captain  of  one  of  these  galleys 
had  the  name  of  Colombo,  and  under  him  served  a  youth 
of  the  same  race,  taken  from  the  Guild  of  Wool,  destined 
to  rival  in  fame,  as  the  native  chronicler  asserts,  the  royal 
titles  of  Anjou  and  Aragon.  Duke  John  borrowed  of  the 
Bank  of  St.  George  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
thousand  gold  ducats.  Genoa  would  have  advanced  no  such 
sum  to  her  own  son  wherewith  to  discover  a  New  World. 

Dawn  trembles  on  the  Mediterranean.  The  comet  has 
disappeared,  and  the  beacon  star  glows  in  the  tower, 
guiding  the  course  of  the  ships  that  bring  cocoa,  rice, 
coffee,  or  dye-woods  from  the  realms  visited  by  Columbus 
so  long  ago  safe  into  port.  Genoa  in  the  present,  and  the 
future  may  well  watch  her  beacon  in  the  proud  trust,  — 

"  Be  mine  to  guard  this  light  from  all  eclipse, 
Be  mine  to  bring  man  nearer  unto  man !  " 

All  honor  to  the  sailors  of  the  world,  for  truly  to  them 
America  owes  her  existence,  as  England  her  power,  France 
her  wealth,  and  Holland  her  liberty ! 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


IN    A    PICTURE   GALLERY. 


THE  December  day  is  cold  at  Genoa,  and  a  bitter  wind 
blows  from  the  mountain  peaks.  The  workmen  of 
the  Carrara  marble  quarries  are  hindered  in  their  labor  by 
the  snow.  From  what  sanguine  imagination  emanated  the 
delusion  of  tropical  winters  in  Italy  ?  The  climate  does 
not  materially  change  if  such  statements  as  the  following 
are  accurate  :  — 

"In  the  year  476,  the  Tiber  was  full  of  ice,  snow  lay  in  the 
Forum  for  forty  days,  the  vines  and  the  olive  trees  froze  to  the 
roots,  the  cattle  were  famished,  and  wolves  prowled  about 
the  streets  of  Rome.  In  1493  the  cold  was  so  excessive  that 
on  Christmas  Day  the  sea  froze  about  the  Mole  at  Genoa,  and 
vessels  could  not  therefore  approach  the  land." 

You  seek  a  street  of  stately  mansions,  enter  the  spa- 
cious hall  of  a  palace,  supported  by  massive  columns, 
gain  a  court  with  arcades,  where  a  view  of  inner  garden, 
planted  with  orange-trees,  may  be  obtained,  and  ascend  a 
wide  stairway  to  a  picture  gallery.  The  walls  of  the  vesti- 
bule have  arabesque  designs,  and  a  suite  of  apartments, 
richly  gilded,  and  with  sumptuous  hangings,  open  a  tempt- 
ing vista  of  the  works  of  Titian,  the  Caracci,  Tintoretto,  or 
Caravaggio  to  the  visitor.  You  enter  a  narrow  and  se- 
cluded room  on  the  left  hand.  What  splendor  of  lavish 
decoration  meets  the   eye  in  this  abode  of  the  Genoese 


Courtyard  of  the  Palace  of  the  University. 


IN  A  PICTUKE   GALLERY.  271 

noble !  Frescoes  of  Guido  Reni  seem  to  bloom  softly  on 
the  arched  ceiling,  the  dimpled  forms  of  Cupids,  and  the 
pearly  flesh-tints  of  nymphs,  with  loosened  tresses,  and 
azure  draperies.  The  floor  is  paved  with  marbles  as  lus- 
trous as  agate.  How  icy  cold  is  the  temperature  of  a 
picture  gallery  in  Italy  !  Here  feet  and  hands  are  speed- 
ily benumbed,  the  blood  is  chilled  in  the  veins,  and  the 
breath  is  perceptible  clinging  around  the  lips.  All  the 
while  the  portraits,  blooming  with  the  life  and  color  of 
the  Renaissance,  enveloped  in  velvet  and  furs,  gaze  forth 
from  their  frames  with  a  complacent  aspect  of  well  be- 
ing. "  A  room  hung  with  pictures  is  a  room  hung  with 
thoughts,"  said  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds. 

Yonder  is  a  quaint  panel  of  early  Genoese  art  represent- 
ing a  Doge  of  the  family,  in  1345,  in  the  act  of  discussing 
with  an  architect  and  two  councillors  the  means  of  pro- 
longing the  city  aqueduct.  Few  painters  lived  at  Genoa 
in  the  thirteenth  century  at  a  time  of  the  division  of  crafts, 
but  in  the  fourteenth  century  the  number  increased,  until 
there  were  eighty-three  artists,  with  many  more  at  Savona 
and  on  the  Riviera,  between  1475  and  1525,  educated  in 
the  school  of  art,  in  which  seven  years  of  study  were  re- 
quisite for  matriculation.  In  1480  lived  Damiano  Lercari, 
sculptor  and  intagliatore,  who  seems  to  have  won  more 
reputation  for  the  Chinese  minuteness  of  carving  a  bas- 
relief  of  the  Passion  of  Christ  on  a  peach-stone  than  for 
more  comprehensive  work. 

The  narrow  gallery  contains  an  interesting  company  in 
the  portraits  on  the  walls.  High  above  the  range  of  case- 
ment is  a  dark  and  shadowy  picture  of  a  man  in  a  robe  of 
state,  either  of  ambassador  or  councillor,  holding  a  roll 
of  parchment  in  his  hand,  whose  thoughtful  gaze  follows 
the  intruder.  You  christen  him  Caffaro,  the  Genoese  his- 
torian, who  joined  the  Crusade  of  1100,  and  fought  in 
Palestine.     He  held  the   pen   in  the   compilation   of   his 


272  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

Annals  until  a  few  years  before  his  death.  It  lias  been 
stated  that  the  last  six  years  of  the  thirteenth  century 
were  very  glorious  in  the  history  of  Genoa  ;  but  no  citizen 
had  leisure  to  write,  as  all  were  engaged  in  public  enter- 
prises. The  judgment  would  be  hasty  that  Genoa  lacked 
astronomers,  historians,  or  poets,  although  the  student  w;is 
eclipsed  by  the  more  brilliant  personality  of  the  warrior, 
statesman,  and  merchant  prince.  In  ancient  Liguria  were 
not  C.  Elius  Staleno  a  fervid  orator,  and  the  enemy  of 
Cicero,  as  well  as  the  historian  Pompeius  Trogus,  and  the 
satirist  A.  Persius  Flaccus,  famous  ?  Did  not  P.  Elviua 
Pertinace,  at  a  later  period,  dedicate  his  apostolic  his- 
tory in  verse  to  Pope  Virgilius  ?  Many  Genoese  com- 
posed verse  in  the  Provencal  tongue,  and  sought  the 
courts  of  Provence,  Spain,  and  Naples.  Pagan i no  of 
Luni  wrote  in  Italian  with  such  elegance  and  purity  as 
to  merit  the  praise  of  the  authorities  Delia  Crusca,  while 
Bartolomeo  Gentile  was  judged  by  the  learned  superior  to 
Dante,  and  the  equal  of  Petrarch  in  his  works  of  philoso- 
phy and  theology,  and  on  the  Pontifical  and  Caesarean 
laws.  Lorenzo  Maggiolo,  philosopher,  and  student  of 
Greek  letters,  educated  at  Padua,  Pavia,  and  Ferrara, 
was  the  contemporary  of  Pico  della  Mirandola,  and 
Alberto,  Signor  of  Caspi,  Jacopo  de'  Varagine,  the  Arch- 
bishop Stella,  who  lived  in  1396,  Senarega  in  1314,  and 
Agostino  Giustiniano  in  1528,  took  up  the  thread  of  his- 
torical narration  after  Caffaro.  A  history  of  Genoa,  by 
Accinelli,  was  published  at  Leipsic  in  1750,  dedicated  to 
Maria,  the  august  protectress  of  Genoa  and  her  people. 
In  physics,  rhetoric,  and  grammar  the  Genoese  mind  was 
active,  while  the  monks  of  different  orders  took  a  credit- 
able rank  in  theological  and  ecclesiastical  erudition,  and 
in  the  refutation  of  the  books  of  the  rabbis  of  Spain,  ac- 
cording to  Catholic  authorities,  by  means  of  their  own 
Talmud.      Fra   Filippo  Brusserio  of   Savona    compiled   a 


IN  A  PICTURE  GALLERY.  273 

chronicle  of  the  Franciscans,  and  wrote  a  work  urging 
the  reconquering  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  Such  was  his 
eloquence  that  the  women  of  Genoa  were  moved  to  make 
certain  reforms  in  dress,  and  to  sell  their  jewels.  In 
jurisprudence  Albenga,  Noli,  Savona,  Albissola,  and 
Voltaggio  had  eminent  lawyers.  Caffaro  made  a  noble 
eulogy  of  the  Genoese  Ugo  di  Baldissone  and  Corso  di 
Serra  thus:  "It  may  be  truly  said  that  the  name  of  the 
Genoese  councillors,  with  those  of  the  vicinity,  imparted 
a  lustre  to  the  Republic."  Antonio  Fregoso  lived  at  the 
court  of  Ludovico  the  Moor,  at  Milan,  and,  retiring  to  the 
solitude  of  a  villa,  composed  the  "  Smile  of  Democrites," 
the  "  Lament  of  Heraclites,"  and  an  amorous  poem  of  the 
"White  Doe/'  Foglietta  and  Bonfadio  belonged  to  litera- 
ture. Genoa  may  have  possessed  satirists  as  mocking  as 
Alessandro  Tassoni,  who  sang  of  the  seccliia  rapita  (the 
stolen  bucket),  in  1565,  a  war  of  Modena  and  Bologna  in 
the  thirteenth  century,  when  the  bucket  of  a  well  belong- 
ing to  the  latter  town  was  seized  by  Modenese  warriors, 
and  placed  in  the  tower  of  their  own  cathedral.  Eleano 
Spinola  was  the  author  of  a  letter  on  the  life  and  death 
of  Pope  Pius  II.  Leon  Battista  Alberti  was  born  at  Genoa, 
while  Tiraboschi  was  born  and  died  there.  What  would 
the  old  Caffaro  think  of  his  Sea  City,  now,  with  Columbus 
gone  forth  to  discover  a  New  World  ? 

Opposite  is  another  portrait  of  a  warrior  in  armor,  with 
visor  raised.  You  are  equally  confident  that  he  can  be  no 
other  than  the  knight  Embriaco,  surnamed  Testa  del  Maglio, 
or  hammer-head,  for  strength  so  redoubtable  in  managing 
the  wooden  towers  of  attack  in  the  Holy  Land.  To  the 
time  of  Embriaco  belong  those  duels  of  most  ancient  usage 
employed  as  a  means  of  justice  by  the  Genoese,  which  re- 
call the  challenge  of  Horatius  before  the  Tiber  bridge  of 
the  army  of  Lars  Porsenna.  In  1232  Jacopo  Grillo,  being 
accused  of  a  crime  for  which  he  could  not  justify  himself, 

18 


274  GENOA   THE   SUPERB. 

was  permitted  by  the  podesta  to  offer  combat,  by  means  of 
a  champion,  to  his  adversary.  Grilio's  duellist  was  a  native 
of  Cuneo,  while  the  opponent  was  a  Florentine.  The  latter 
killed  the  former,  whereupon  Grilio's  own  head  was  cut  off. 

Beside  Embriaco  is  the  portrait  of  a  man  whose  features 
denote  rugged  energy.  He  wears  a  corselet,  and  a  curious 
head-gear.  Surely  he  is  Hie  sailor  Andrea  Magrone,  of 
1420,  noted  for  his  skill  in  swimming  and  remaining  under 
water,  who,  when  Genoa  was  besieged  by  the  forces  of 
Aragon,  put  a  helmet  of  leather  on  his  head,  took  a  knife 
in  his  hand,  glided  near  the  ship  of  the  Spanish  commander, 
cut  it  loose,  and  sent  it  drifting  among  the  other  vessels, 
creating  a  confusion  utilized  by  the  city  to  repulse  the 
assault  of  the  enemy. 

At  another  angle  of  the  gallery,  sombre,  as  if  resting 
under  the  obloquy  of  a  cloud  never  to  be  lifted  in  this 
world,  is  the  Knight  Templar.  Refined  and  delicate  feat- 
ured, of  a  distinctively  Gallic  type,  he  seems  to  question, 
with  head  slightly  bent  forward,  even  while  he  proudly 
wears  the  insignia  of  his  order,  if  the  cruel  persecution 
of  Philippe  le  Bel,  a  king  pronounced  by  Dante  the 
"  pest  of  France,"  is  to  tarnish  forever  the  fair  fame  of 
the  Hospitallers. 

In  full  light  is  the  placid  countenance  of  Petrarch,  his 
brow  crowned  with  laurel.  Courtier,  scholar,  poet,  and 
enlightened  patriot,  hoping  much  for  the  revival  of  art  and 
learning  in  Italy,  he  was,  in  addition,  a  sympathetic  and 
keenly  appreciative  traveller,  who  imparted  his  impressions 
in  graceful  letters.  Petrarch  is  the  most  beautiful  mind 
that  has  reflected  the  image  of  Genoa  in  any  century.  His 
descriptions  of  the  Sea  City  have  the  purity  and  limpid 
freshness  of  thought  of  his  own  immortal  verse,  as  when  he 
exclaims  :  "  Go  !  my  song,  thou  wilt  find  me  again  yonder 
on  those  Alps,  near  a  spring,  there  where  the  sky  is  more 
pure,  beside  a  young  and  fresh  laurel." 


IN   A   PICTURE   GALLERY.  275 

A  picture  rich  in  color  and  accessories  attracts  the  gaze, 
that  of  Giano  Lusignano,  King  of  Cyprus,  wearing  a  velvet 
doublet,  a  ruff,  and  a  jewelled  chain,  with  the  fingers  of  the 
left  hand  toying  with  the  links  pendent  on  his  breast.  A 
royal  gentleman,  sovereign  of  a  tiny,  much  disputed  island 
kingdom,  he  was  born,  nourished,  and  educated  by  the 
Genoese  in  their  city,  and  accused  of  ingratitude  in  his 
subsequent  policy.  Modern  diplomacy  might  borrow  a  leaf 
of  flowery  and  meaningless  phrases  from  King  John's 
response  to  the  upbraiding  of  the  Podesta  Guarco  :  — 

"  All  that  you  say,  O  podesta,  is  true,  because  I  was  born  in 
Genoa,  and  brought  up  by  the  Genoese,  and  have  been  both 
honored  and  benefited  by  them,  in  which  I  glory.  I  have 
acquired  the  grandeur  of  soul  and  the  customs  of  the  Genoese  ; 
but  I  was  constrained  by  your  magnanimity  to  go  to  a  far 
country,  and  to  seek  to  gain  possession  of  all  towns  and  castles. 
I  should  act  contrary  to  custom,  against  nature  and  my  own 
usages,  as  well  as  those  of  my  Genoese,  if  I  did  not  strive  with 
my  weapons  in  my  hand,  to  take  a  city  founded  by  my  ances- 
tors, and  so  near  my  kingdom." 

He  sent  three  galleys  in  the  month  of  August,  under 
command  of  Antonio  di  Grimaldo,  cavalier  of  St.  John  of 
Jerusalem,  to  take  Famagosta.  Genoa  conquered  Fama- 
gosta  in  1373,  holding  it  for  the  term  of  ninety  years,  but 
lost  the  valuable  possession  with  this  reign,  all  the  sympa- 
thies of  the  queen  Catherine  Cornaro  turning  to  her  own 
people,  the  Venetians,  after  the  death  of  her  husband  and 
child.  In  1342,  Ugo  Lusignano,  king  of  Cyprus,  decorated 
the  head  of  the  Apostle  Barnabas  with  gold,  silver,  and 
gems,  and  sent  it  as  a  gift  to  the  king  of  Aragon,  by  two 
Franciscans.  The  monks  embarked  with  their  treasure  on 
a  Catalonian  vessel,  were  wrecked  off  Corsica,  managed  to 
secure  a  small  boat,  and  steered  for  the  mainland,  which 
they  reached  in  an  exhausted  condition.     The  vicar  of  the 


276  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

eastern  Riviera  communicated  with  the  Doge  of  Genoa, 
and  the  relic,  thus  unexpectedly  secured,  was  placed  in  the 
Cathedral  of  San  Lorenzo. 

The  Marquis  of  Pescaro,  who  stormed  and  pillaged  Genoa 
in  1522,  looks  forth  from  his  frame  on  the  left,  haughty 
and  calm,  clad  in  mail  which  seems  to  reflect  bluish  lights 
on  the  polished  steel,  awaiting  tidings  of  Prosper  Colonna 
in  the  Val  di  Polcevera,  or  thinking  of  his  fair  wife  Vittoria 
Colonna  writing  verse  at  Ischia,  in  his  absence. 

Nicholas  V.  finds  a  fitting  place  in  this  notable  company, 
as  a  pontiff  ever  favorable  to  Genoa.  Known  as  Thomas 
of  Sarzana,  he  succeeded  Eugenius  IV.  in  1447.  lie  was  a 
munificent  patron  of  learning  at  a  period  when  Cosimo  de' 
Medici  restored  palaces  and  monasteries,  and  Marsilio 
Ficino  founded  the  Platonic  school.  Nicholas  created  the 
Vatican  library,  paved  the  streets  of  Rome,  strengthened 
the  military  defences  of  St.  Peter,  built  the  churches  of 
St.  Theodore  and  St.  Stephen  on  the  Caelian,  and  the 
Milvio  bridge,  as  well  as  the  gates  of  Rome,  and  restored 
the  Pantheon.  Not  only  was  the  collection  of  Oriental 
manuscripts  very  extensive  made  by  this  Pope,  but  the 
works  of  the  Greek  Fathers,  the  poetry  of  Homer,  the  geo- 
graphy of  Strabo,  and  the  writings  of  Plato,  Aristotle,  Tolo- 
meus,  Diodorus,  and  Polibius. 

On  the  right  hand  Sir  Peter  Paul  Rubens  regards  the 
world  blandly  from  the  shadow  of  the  curve  of  his  wide- 
brimmed  cavalier  hat.  Who  more  serene  in  the  security 
and  prosperity  of  the  full  acknowledgment  of  a  splendid 
genius  than  the  painter?  What  power  in  the  gauntlet- 
covered  hand,  resting  jauntily  on  the  hip,  in  the  picture,  to 
reproduce  with  untiring  patience  and  industry  the  gorgeous 
images  of  the  brain.  The  petty  and  ignoble  trials  of  an 
artist's  career,  hampering  and  harassing  his  progress,  did 
not  belong  to  Rubens,  who  crushed  the  thorns  in  the  path  — 
if  there  were  any  —  beneath  his  foot,  and  passed  on.    Some 


IN  A  PICTURE   GALLERY.  277 

clement  of  the  worldly  wisdom  of  his  admirable  mother, 
who  shielded  the  disgrace  of  her  weak  husband  for  making 
love  to  the  Princess  of  Orange,  held  together  her  family 
property  in  precarious  times,  and  separated  her  distin- 
guished son  from  all  question  of  religious  feud  by  restoring 
him  to  the  Catholic  Church,  may  be  discerned  in  his  suc- 
cess. He  visited  Italy,  as  is  well  known,  dwelling  at 
Venice,  Mantua,  and  Rome,  and  embarking  for  Spain  either 
from  Genoa  or  Leghorn.  Trace  of  his  sojourn  at  Genoa  is 
deemed  slight  by  recent  authorities,  and  has  the  foundation 
of  fact  only  in  a  collection  of  drawings  of  the  ancient 
palaces  (antichi  palazzi  di  Grenova)  in  his  famous  house. 
He  also  mentioned  in  a  letter  his  sorrow  at  the  death  of 
his  intimate  friend,  the  Marchese  Spinola,  in  1630.  Genoa 
has  at  least  secured  some  of  the  redundant  coloring  of 
his  brush,  which  is  especially  in  harmony  with  her  palace 
halls. 

Beside  the  master,  Anton  Van  Dyck  smiles  over  his 
shoulder  at  all  the  creations  of  his  own  pencil  in  the  adja- 
cent rooms,  —  the  children  playing  with  monkeys  or  troops 
of  little  dogs,  the  nobles  in  armor,  and  the  stately  dames 
in  robes  of  blue  and  amber,  embroidered  with  pearls,  worthy 
to  rank  with  his  twenty-five  portraits  of  the  vivacious  Eng- 
lish Queen  Henrietta  Maria.  No  doubt  exists  of  Van 
Dyck's  presence  in  Genoa,  where  he  painted  a  great  num- 
ber of  portraits  of  the  merchant  princes  of  the  land.  He 
was  born  at  Antwerp  in  1599,  and  was  the  son  of  a  well- 
to-do  Flemish  burgher.  The  first  gleams  of  talent  evinced 
in  childhood  were  carefully  observed  and  fostered  by  his 
parents.  His  mother,  Maria  Cuypers,  wrought  delicate 
embroideries  in  many  colors,  with  much  skill,  before  his 
birth.  Posterity  is  not  required  to  judge  with  severity 
this  worthy  couple  as  having  thwarted  the  inclination  of 
their  child,  either  through  obtuseness  or  harshness.  The 
father  of  Claude  Lorraine  is  reputed  to  have  destined  him 


278  GENOA   THE   SUPERB. 

for  the  trade  of  pastry  cook  ;  and  paternal  authority, 
equally  enlightened,  would  fain  have  made  of  Correggio  a 
butcher,  Guido  R<ni  a  musician,  Guercino  a  mason,  Andrea 
del  Sarto  a  tailor,  and  Michelangelo  a  merchanl  of  wool. 
Win  Dyck,  on  the  contrary,  enjoyed  (.'very  advanti 
study  from  a  very  tender  age,  and  became  a  member  of  the 
Guild  of  St.  Luke  in  his  native  city,  a  body  given  the  duty 
of  arranging  all  public  pageants  and  festivals.  Was  not 
life  one  prolonged  festival  for  the  painter?  Gifted  with 
the  same  prodigious  industry  as  Rubens,  if  not  endowed 
with  the  latter's  superb  scope  of  ability,  he  soon  became  a 
favorite  pupil  of  the  master.  Then  the  young  Van  Dyck 
went  forth  into  the  world  ;  women  smiled  on  him,  sovereigns 
flattered  him,  chiefly  for  reproducing  such  pleasing  pur- 
traits  of  themselves  and  their  chubby  offspring,  and  foreign 
lands  welcomed  him  with  ready  appreciation  of  his  gifts. 
Fortunate,  facile,  and  marvellously  prolific  Van  Dyck,  set 
the  task  of  defining  the  taper  fingers,  ruddy  lips,  sparkling 
eyes,  and  ringlets  of  great  ladies,  with  all  the  accessories 
of  lace,  satin,  and  velvet,  the  parrots  and  flowers,  well  may 
you  smile  over  your  shoulder  at  the  vain  human  family 
that  treated  you  so  kindly  ! 

The  portraits  of  the  two  great  Flemish  artists  in  the 
gallery  of  the  Genoese  palace  possess  a  warmth  of  vitality 
and  interest  all  their  own.  They  bask  in  the  golden  tide 
of  sunshine  of  their  untarnished  fame,  and  even  the  chill 
atmosphere  of  the  place  on  the  December  day  is  powerless 
to  touch  them  with  the  blight  of  mildew  and  decay.  They 
embody  talent,  the  love  of  the  beautiful,  and  in  marked 
degree,  the  very  pride  of  life,  whether  measured  by  the 
standard  of  their  labors  in  vast  allegorical  subjects,  the 
contributions  to  sacred  art,  or  the  long  line  of  portraits  of 
kings  and  queens  and  royal  babies. 

A  study  of  the  young  Napoleon  Bonaparte  hangs  above 
the  door.     The  picture  is  somewhat  indifferent  in  treat- 


IN  A  PICTURE   GALLERY.  279 

ment,  and  meagre  in  tone  and  form  ;  yet  it  is  a  clear  por- 
trayal of  the  familiar,  aquiline  physiognomy,  with  the  lock 
of  dark  hair  falling  over  the  broad  brow.  The  young 
Napoleon  and  Genoa !  Had  he  any  sympathies  with  the 
rich  history  of  the  Sea  City,  which  attained  a  climax  of 
renown  with  the  birth  and  discoveries  of  her  son  Christo- 
pher Columbus  ?  Did  he  estimate  her,  in  subsequent 
decline,  other  than  with  the  cynical  contempt  of  such  a 
nature  for  weakness  and  misfortune,  as  the  bagatelle  of 
Spain,  Austria,  or  France,  in  turn?  He  must  have  been 
familiar  with  all  the  manifold  links  of  interest  binding  his 
island  home  of  Corsica  to  Genoa,  from  the  date  of  1348, 
when  the  rival  republic  superseded  Pisa  in  this  stronghold, 
to  the  rule  of  the  German  adventurers,  culminating  in 
Baron  Theodore  Neuhof  of  Westphalia,  who  in  1736  made 
himself  King  Theodore  I.  of  Corsica,  but  subsequently  fled 
from  the  wrath  of  Genoa,  aided  by  the  French,  finding  the 
position  untenable.  The  son  of  Carlo  Bonaparte,  the  officer 
of  General  Paoli,  and  the  brilliant  Letitia,  reputed  to  have 
been  born  on  a  piece  of  old  tapestry  representing  a  battle 
scene  of  the  Iliad,  assuredly  early  imbibed  the  lesson  from 
the  surroundings  of  his  cradle  that  great  rogues  escape 
justice,  and  only  small  ones  are  taken,  —  or  rather,  with 
respect  for  the  memory  of  the  doubtless  romantic  West- 
phalian  baron,  who  wished  to  wear  a  crown,  successful 
soldiers  become  conquerors  and  great  men,  while  failure 
renders  them  knaves.  The  portrait  above  the  door  may 
have  been  painted  before  or  long*  after  the  battle  of  Ma- 
rengo, when  Genoa  was  first  made  a  Ligurian  Republic, 
then  held  by  the  French,  and  ultimately  annexed  to  the 
Sardinian  government  in  1815.  Bonaparte  probably  esti- 
mated Genoa  as  a  sheet  of  paper  on  which  to  work  out  the 
military  schemes  of  his  own  brain  in  strategical  advantages 
of  attack  or  defence.  He  had  been  drilled  in  the  military 
schools  of  Brienne  and  Paris  ;    served  as  a  lieutenant  of 


280  GENOA   THE  SUPERB. 

Artillery  ;  witnessed  the  insurrection  of  June,  and  seen 
Louis  XVI.  appear  at  the  window  of  the  Tuileries  in 
response  to  the  summons  of  his  subjects  armed  with  pikes 
and  axes;  he  reorganized  the  artillery  of  Toulon,  and  after 
his  eclipse  in  the  fall  of  Robespierre,  in  the  revolution 
headed  by  the  National  Guard,  was  remembered  as  the 
valiant  little  Corsican  of  the  siege  of  Toulon  by  Barras, 
in  consultation  with  Carnot  and  Tallien.  The  campaigns 
of  Italy  followed. 

In  the  portrait  the  young  Napoleon  measures  Genoa 
with  a  cool  and  speculative  scrutiny,  undazzled  by  her 
display  of  wealth  and  unmoved  by  her  powerful  past. 
His  meditations  may  be  of  the  charming  Josephine  de 
Beauharnais,  wedded  for  love,  whose  soft  Creole  graces  of 
manner  must  have  afforded  a  marked  contrast  with  the 
bearing  of  the  brilliant  and  presumably  brusque  Corsican 
mother  and  sisters.  How  much  more  probable  that  he  was 
already  pondering  on  the  campaign  of  Egypt,  and  the 
crown  of  Emperor,  which  he  would  place  on  his  own 
head ! 

In  the  narrow  gallery  how  varied  and  comprehensive  the 
thread  of  life  from  Bonaparte  above  the  door  to  Caffaro, 
Embriaco,  and  the  Knight  Templar  !  Truly,  Sir  Joshua 
Reynolds,  "A  room  hung  with  pictures  is  a  room  hung  with 
thoughts ! " 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE   NOTE    OF   A    VIOLIN. 

THE  German  father  has  his  place  of  business,  home, 
and  garden  on  a  steep  and  narrow  street  leading 
from  the  port  up  the  hill.  The  warehouse  is  a  low  and 
sufficiently  spacious  interior,  such  as  is  usually  devoted  to 
offices  in  Italian  towns,  with  a  ceiling  heavily  vaulted,  several 
windows  pierced  high  up  in  the  wall  and  barred,  like  those 
of  a  prison,  and  a  floor  of  brick  tiles.  A  clean  and  whole- 
some smell  pervades  the  place  of  hemp  and  linen,  the 
articles  imported  by  Herr  Miiller  from  his  own  country. 
Above  stairs  is  a  commodious  and  comfortable  apartment, 
blooming  with  plants  and  birds,  and  adorned  with  the 
decorative  art  needlework  in  curtains,  portieres,  cushions, 
and  rugs  of  young  maidenhood  of  all  lands,  where  reigns 
the  Frau  Miiller,  and  her  especial  assistant,  the  old  nurse 
Lisbeth.  In  the  rear  of  the  premises  is  a  tiny  garden 
formed  by  a  margin  of  terrace  between  high  walls,  just 
large  enough  for  a  pear-tree  to  bloom  in  one  corner, 
and  for  the  children  to  skip  a  rope  on  holidays.  The 
resources  of  that  garden  are  endless,  and  the  blossoming  of 
the  pear-tree  has  marked  the  years  of  growth  of  the  little 
family.  Has  not  the  eldest  son  Wilhelm,  now  a  genteel 
youth  gone  to  complete  his  studies  at  Zurich,  in  the  days 
of  urchinhood  fitted  and  sailed  boats  on  the  large  earth- 
en vessel  placed  by  the  pipe  to  catch  rainwater  ?  Has 
not  a  brood  of  snowy  white  pigeons  with  coral-red  feet  a 


282  GENOA   THE   SUPERB. 

house,  with  many  doors,  attached  to  the  wall  ?  Does  not 
the  magpie,  with  clipped  wings,  hop  about  on  the  gravel 
all  day,  scolding  in  a  harsh  note  ?  Then  the  little  dog, 
Fritz,  a  sedate  Spitz  with  a  sagacious  nose  and  bushy  tail, 
long  outgrown  all  foolish  friskiness  of  the  puppy  stage,  has 
his  especial  dominion  here.  Herr  Miiller  is  a  plain  man, 
with  a  large  nose  and  a  shaven  chin,  placid,  exact,  and  with 
a  good  reputation  for  probity  ;  his  wife  is  a  buxom  matron, 
florid,  with  abundant  yellow  hair  braided  in  a  massive  coil 
at  the  back  of  the  head,  always  handsomely  attired,  and 
deeply  versed  in  compounding  dishes  of  fish,  mayonnaise, 
pickled  red  cabbage,  or  salads  for  supper ;  and  the  chil- 
dren are  a  blond  and  smiling  flock.  The  foreigner  may 
be  classed  as  belonging  to  the  element  of  Germans, 
English,  and  Swiss  that  sought  Genoa  for  purposes  of 
trade  after  the  Austrian  invasion  and  the  Pragmatic 
Sanction.  Herr  Miiller  has  what  is  known  in  Italy 
as  a  costly  family,  giving  his  children  every  advantage 
of  education,  but  he  does  not  belong  to  the  world  of 
fashion.  Accomplished  linguists,  genial  in  intercourse 
with  their  neighbors,  and  the  schoolmates  of  the  little  ones, 
the  mother  interesting  herself  with  liberality  in  charitable 
works,  and  the  maidens  knitting  countless  shawls  and 
mufflers  for  fairs,  the  threads  of  national  life  do  not  blend. 
Thus  it  is  that  as  the  household  has  a  Christmas  Tree, 
decorated  like  those  of  northern  firesides,  in  its  season,  so 
a  German  youth,  tall,  broad  shouldered,  and  blond,  has 
come  to  Genoa  to  marry  the  eldest  daughter,  a  girl  of 
eighteen,  slender,  blue-eyed,  and  with  golden  tresses 
gathered  on  the  top  of  her  head.  The  young  couple  sit 
under  the  pear-tree  in  bloom,  hand  in  hand. 

The  German  father  has  another  quality  in  his  appar- 
ently practical  nature:  he  is  a  musician.  Frau  Miiller 
performs  admirably  on  the  pianoforte,  and  the  daughters 
excel    in   the   interpretation   of    Mozart,   Beethoven,   and 


THE   NOTE   OF   A   VIOLIN.  283 

Schumann.  The  entire  household  have  rendered,  on  occa- 
sion, for  the  amusement  of   their  friends,   adaptations   of 

Gounod's  funeral  march  to  a  marionette,  and  Romberg's 
Toy  Symphony.  If  you  are  so  fortunate  as  to  gain  his 
confidence,  he  will  take  you  to  his  sanctum  at  the  end  of 
the  corridor.  A  bust  of  Meyerbeer  occupies  a  niche,  and 
a  good  assortment  of  volumes  on  the  subject  of  music  fill 
the  shelves  of  the  bookcase.  The  features  of  the  host 
warm  and  expand  ;  he  welcomes  the  guest  with  a  cordial 
pressure  of  the  hand,  and,  if  masculine,  proffers  a  pipe  or 
a  cigar.  Nationalities  are  merged  in  fraternal  sentiments, 
for  music  is  the  universal  language  of  mankind.  He  has  a 
large  collection  of  instruments,  such  as  may  be  readily 
picked  up  in  a  Mediterranean  seaport  like  Genoa,  consist- 
ing of  Mexican  rattles  and  whistles ;  an  Arab  trumpet,  a 
long  tube  of  brass  ;  drums  of  wood  and  of  copper,  beaten 
with  sticks  or  with  the  palms  of  the  hands;  gongs, 
cymbals,  and  castanets ;  and  flutes  such  as  are  deemed 
efficacious  in  taming  elephants  in  the  East,  as  well  as  a 
gourd,  fitted  with  two  bamboo  pipes,  pierced  with  holes, 
used  to  charm  snakes.  Here  is  a  rude  fiddle  made  of  half  of 
a  cocoanut  shell,  covered  with  the  skin  of  the  gazelle  ;  an 
Algerian  stringed  instrument  inlaid  with  tortoise-shell ;  an 
Arabian  guitar,  half  a  gourd  covered  with  sheep-skin,  and 
decked  with  cowrie  shells ;  the  Rebec  of  the  Provencal 
troubadours;  double  reed  pipes  of  classical  design;  curious 
cylinders  covered  with  snake  skin,  and  having  two  strings; 
Turkish  and  Persian  lutes.  In  all  this  bewildering  array 
of  strange  and  primitive  objects  the  owner  has  grouped 
them  in  symmetrical  order  as  instruments  of  percussion,  of 
wind,  and  stringed,  each  with  number,  date,  and  origin 
neatly  attached  on  a  tiny  label.  When  you  have  suffi- 
ciently admired  the  mere  noise-producing  implements  of 
other  races  to  your  uninitiated  ear,  Herr  Mailer  opens  In- 
case of  violins  for  your  inspection.      He  is  a  connoisseur 


284  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

of  violins,  and  a  skilful  performer.  He  has  French  violins 
on  the  models  of  Cappuy  and  Castaguery  ;  German  on  those 
of  David  Teckler,  Klotz,  and  Withalen ;  and  Italian  on  the 
methods  adopted  by  Francesco  Ruggeri,  Giuseppe  Odoardi, 
and  Niccolo  Galliani.  Then  he  unlocks  a  box  slowly  and 
impressively,  which  contains  still  another  violin,  and  the 
woodcut  of  a  man  in  the  dress  of  a  past  generation,  with 
a  large  development  of  brow,  thin  features,  and  a  weak 
chin,  pasted  inside  the  lid  of  the  receptacle.  You  divine 
from  the  manner  of  the  amateur  that  the  instrument  is  a 
Stradivarius,  or  an  Amati.  He  points  to  the  woodcut. 
"  That  is  Paganini,  the  greatest  man  who  ever  lived." 

"  The  greatest  violinist,  perhaps,"  you  qualify. 

"  Yes  ;  the  sovereign  of  all  violinists,"  he  adds. 

"  Say  rather  a  magician,  and  perhaps  in  league  with 
Satan,  as  pious  folk  feared." 

"  Paganini  was  a  Genoese,  and  the  little  shop  of  his 
father  the  broker  was  situated  down  yonder  on  the  Port. 
I  know  the  place,"  Herr  Miiller  continues,  and  takes  his 
Stradivarius  from  the  resting-place,  drawing  the  bow  across 
the  strings.  "  If  this  violin  did  not  actually  belong  to 
Paganini,  he  has  played  upon  it,  and  more  than  once." 

The  note  of  a  violin  pierces  the  stillness  of  the  corridor, 
and  wanders  forth,  on  the  wings  of  sound,  to  the  narrow 
street  of  Genoa,  more  tortuous  and  dark  than  the  life  span 
of  Niccolo  Paganini,  the  strange  being  who  in  his  own 
pain,  caprice,  or  indifference  moved  the  soul  of  the  human 
race  as  no  musician  has  ever  done,  possibly,  before  his  day, 
or  since.  He  was  born  in  Genoa  on  February  18, 1784, 
and  was  the  second  son  of  Antonio  Paganini.  The  latter 
was  a  parent  not  disposed  to  thwart  the  inclination  of  a 
child  who  displayed  such  marked  ability  for  instrumenta- 
tion at  an  early  age ;  but  he  does  not  shine  in  comparison 
with  the  natural  guardians  of  Rubens  and  Van  Dyck,  for 
he  has  gained  a  reputation  which  appears  to  be  well  estab- 


THE   NOTE   OF   A    VIOLIN.  285 

lished  of  treating  the  early  slave  of  the  violin  with  the 
utmost  harshness,  holding  him  to  the  task  of  practising 
from  morning  until  night  by  threats,  hunger,  and  even 
punishment.  Alas !  for  the  skill  of  supple  fingers  gained 
at  such  a  price  of  fatiguing  drudgery.  Let  us  hope  that 
the  young  Paganini  often  forgot  overstrained  nerves  and 
aching  muscles  in  the  fantasies  of  his  own  melodies.  He 
played  three  times  a  week  in  the  churches  of  Genoa,  and 
frequently  appeared  before  societies.  His  friend  Francesco 
Guecco  often  performed  with  him.  The  great  ladies  of 
Lucca  and  Florence  had  him  invited  to  their  courts  ;  Rome 
listened  to  his  strains  spellbound,  and  Naples  was  moved 
like  the  sea.  He  visited  foreign  lands,  climbing  from 
triumph  to  triumph,  a  unique  being,  fantastic,  abstracted, 
and  wonderfully  alluring  to  all  hearers,  by  turns.  He 
became  known  in  Saxony,  Prussia,  and  Poland.  Gay  and 
volatile  Vienna  went  mad  over  a  new  idol,  giving  to  hats, 
gloves,  and  bonbons  his  name,  eating  bread  in  the  shape 
of  a  violin,  dining  and  supping  only  on  dishes  a  la  Paga- 
nini. Indulgent  to  the  caprices  of  a  very  small  son  (per- 
haps in  remembrance  of  the  severity  of  his  own  boyhood), 
often  smitten  with  illness,  the  magician  who  had  power  to 
so  enthrall  multitudes  pursued  his  erratic  course,  until  the 
worn  frame  —  the  violin  case  —  succumbed.  The  Arch- 
bishop of  Nice  refused  him  interment  for  alleged  religious 
indifference;  and  his  remains,  after  detention  in  the  cham- 
ber of  a  hospital,  were  transported  to  Villa-franca,  and 
finally  consigned  to  earth  in  the  Val  di  Polcevera  above 
Genoa.  The  end  of  Paganini  was  as  strange  as  his  life. 
The  contadini  of  Polcevera,  evidently  afraid  of  his  grave  as 
uncanny,  were  said  to  have  heard  lamentations  and  sighs 
about  the  spot  at  night.  Was  it  only  the  wind  murmur- 
ing among  the  chestnut-trees  in  the  hours  of  darkness  ? 
Was  the  weird  spectre  of  Paganini  ever  visible  to  mortal 
vision,  flitting  along  the   countryside  in  the   moonlight? 


286  GENOA  THE   SUPERB. 

Do  the  sorrowful  lamentations  emanate  from  his  violin, 
and  still  wander  up  the  gorges  of  the  Apennines  to  Linger, 
like  memory,  about  the  ruins  of  monastery  and  ancient 
castle,  or  seek  in  lowered,  sobbing  cadences  of  fitful  sweet- 
ness his  native  city,  and  the  moaning  sea  beyond  ? 

Herr  Mttller  replaces  the  Stradivarius  in  the  case  with 
reverence,  and  turns  the  key,  possibly  mindful  of  the  time 
when  "  Music  lay  yet  in  the  cradle  awaiting  the  touch  of 
Italy  upon  her  strings,  and  the  touch  of  Germany  upon  her 
keys." 

The  pear-tree  of  the  little  garden  spreads  a  snowy 
canopy  of  bloom  above  the  heads  of  the  young  couple,  and 
from  time  to  time  sheds  down  fragrant  petals  on  them  as  a 
greeting  of  the  springtime  of  life. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE  LAUNCHING    OF   THE  BOAT. 

ON  the  terrace  of  the  old  villa  at  Pegli  the  October  sun 
may  be  watched  setting  in  the  west.  The  young 
count  reclines  in  his  wheel-chair,  large-eyed,  pale,  and 
languid,  while  his  father  stands  beside  him. 

"  We  will  write  the  ornithology  next  winter,  Papa,"  he 
says,  in  his  childish  voice. 

"  Yes,  my  child,"  the  father  makes  his  habitual  response. 

He  turns  his  sombre  gaze  to  the  hills,  where  convents 
and  oratories  nestle  among  olive-trees,  instead  of  in  the 
direction  of  the  sea.  In  imagination  he  appears  like  one  of 
those  Carthusian  monks  of  the  sixteenth  century,  painted 
by  the  Spaniard  Zurbaran.  Who  knows  that  he  may  not 
yet  return  to  the  world  to  quaff  the  cup  of  forgetfulness, 
as  Italy  plunged  into  revelry  after  the  Plague  ? 

The  sailor  and  the  pretty  Francesca  at  the  gate  have 
been  married,  and  now  he  is  about  to  start  on  another 
voyage  to  America.  Bronzed,  robust,  and  animated,  he 
approaches  the  terrace.  What  shall  he  bring  the  young 
master  from  the  New  World  ?  Ah,  one  must  think  a  little. 
He  will  fetch  one  of  those  beautiful  garments  from  Buenos 
Ayres,  wrought  by  the  South  American  Indians,  of  feathers, 
like  silk.  To  what  realm  of  light  and  space  will  the  young 
master  have  flown  when  the  sailor  returns  with  the  dress 
of  feathers  ? 

The  swallows  dart  around  the  corner  of  the  house,  pre- 
paring to  make   their  winter  migration   to   Africa.     The 


288  GENOA  THE  SUPERB. 

father  tortoise  sidles  across  the  path,  still  basking  in  sum- 
mer heat.  Winter  visitors  have  not  arrived.  The  invalid 
falls  asleep,  and  the  Ligurian  woman,  with  her  set,  stern 
face,  wheels  the  chair  into  the  house.  The  father  lights  a 
cigar,  and  paces  the  terrace,  with  his  hands  clasped  behind 
his  back.  The  birds  twitter  softly,  as  if  not  to  disturb  the 
slumbers  of  the  boy.  The  macaw  is  silent  on  the  perch  of 
a  gilded  cage,  dreaming  of  the  palm  groves  of  the  coral 
islands. 

Down  on  the  shore  sturdy  little  Beppo,  in  his  red  cap, 
floats  bits  of  wood  on  the  tide,  with  his  comrades.  The 
vessel  so  long  building  in  the  ship-yard  is  completed,  and 
has  been  successfully  launched.  In  size  it  resembles  the 
first  craft  employed  by  Columbus. 

"  In  the  bow  of  the  boat  is  the  gift  of  another  world. 
Without  it  what  prison  would  be  so  strong  as  that  white 
and  wailing  sea  ?  But  the  nails  that  fasten  together  the 
planks  of  the  boat's  bows  are  the  rivets  of  the  fellowship 
of  the  world." 

The  sun  sinks  beneath  the  waves,  shedding  crimson  fires 
on  the  walls  and  roofs  of  Genoa.  In  the  shadowy  thickets 
of  the  Pallavicini  gardens  the  blended  fragrance  of  aroma- 
tic shubbery,  exotic,  and  blossom  perfume  the  warm  air  of 
evening.  If  Genoa  were  a  Pagan  shrine,  the  incense  of 
sacrifice  would  rise  heavenward  from  the  Pallavicini  garden ; 
but  the  Sea  City  is  a  most  Christian  town,  instead,  and  un- 
der the  protection  of  the  Madonna.  From  the  sunny  waves, 
still  dyed  gold  and  crimson  by  the  passage  of  the  God  of 
Day,  floats  the  sweet  strain  of  a  vesper  hymn.  Colum- 
bus and  his  crew  sang  the  Salve  Regina,  learned  in  boy- 
hood on  these  shores,  in  mid  ocean. 


INDEX. 


Accinelli,  272. 

Acquasola,  the,  126. 

Adorno,  Antonio,  225. 

Adorno,  Gabriello,  224. 

Adorno,  Giovanni,  213. 

Adorno,  Jacopo,  267. 

African  coast,  exploration  of,  204. 

Agilulfe,  44. 

Agostino  of  Piedimonte,  114,  115. 

Air-castle,  230-232. 

Albenga,  81,  93,  111,  133,  273. 

Alcseus,  199,  200,  205. 

Alcuin,  quotation  from,  57. 

Alexander  III.,  Pope,  139. 

Alighieri,  Madonna,  73. 

Amain,  175,  176,  180. 

America,  four  hundredth  anniversary  of 

discovery  of,  31. 
Annals  of  the  Pontiffs,  116. 
Antioch,  souvenir  of  the  siege  of,  24. 
Apennines,  feudal  castles  in,  133. 
Aqueduct,    Genoa   first  Italian   city  to 

utilize,  157. 
Arabs,  words  and  proverbs  from,  172 
Ardoino,  Count,  144. 
Arianism,  45. 
Aristides,  134. 
Art,  early  Genoese,  271. 
Artist,  Genoese,  220-229 ;  representation 

by,  of  discovery  of  glass,  223. 
Asphodel,  superstition  regarding,  185; 

the  Royal,  185-191,  206. 
Asti,  133,  136. 
Athale,  44. 
Atys,  King,  67. 
Augusta,  Empress,  123. 
A  urea  Leggenda,  112. 
Auribeau,  91. 


Aventine,  the,  116. 
Avenza,  65,  66. 
Avenzano,  92. 

Bachernia,  129. 

Balcony,  a  Genoese,  21. 

Baldwin,  King  of  Jerusalem,  161. 

Barbarossa,  Frederic,  24,  26,  29,  123, 
133,  186,  187,  189 ;  death  of  children 
of  Henry  VI.  attributed  to,  191 ;  en- 
trance of,  into  Italy,  135-138;  legend 
concerning,  140;  visit  of,  to  Genoa, 
161. 

Bartolomeo  Diaz,  27. 

Bazaine,  Marshal,  102. 

Beauharnais,  Josephine  de,  280. 

Belisarius,  111. 

Bell  of  tower  of  Ducal  Palace,  31,  34-37; 
of  the  year  950,  150. 

Bells,  fusion  of,  33. 

Benanges,  Guillemette  de,  84. 

Benedict  XIII.,  Pope,  216. 

Beppo,  87,  91,  103,  288. 

Berceau,  100. 

Bernardo  the  sailor-lad,  11-13. 

Bianchi,  Niccolb,  267. 

Bisagno,  47,  124,  210. 

Black  Eagle,  the,  16-18. 

Boccanegra,  Egidio,  267. 

Boccanegra,  Simone,  132,  206,  211,  224. 

Bonaparte,  Napoleon,  278-280. 

Boniface,  42. 

Bonus,  111. 

Bordighera,  98,  99. 

Borgo  di  Pre,  123,  126,  127,  139. 

Boucicault,  225. 

Brescia,  133. 

Brignole-Sale,  101. 


19 


290 


i.MM.X 


tablet,  111121   ; 
Byron,  quotation  from, 

( '  \  d  l-Mobto,    \  904. 

I 

;ih  ii   of,  for  \ 

Ii.ni  i  . 

de,  quotation  fron 

101. 
Cap  Martin,  91,  100. 

.im  Domini  ; 

110. 

Carbonara,  I 

ino,  104,  134-127. 
Carmen,  147. 
Carrai  270. 

Carroct  i 

letto,  34. 
Castello,  133,  1-24. 

■  :.  197. 

J  i7,  208,  214. 
I         o,  91. 
Charles  Albert,  100. 
Charles  Emanuel  III..  179. 
Charles  of  England,  portrait  of,  07. 
Charles  V.  oi  .  17'.'. 

Chess,  game  of,  112. 
Chiavari,  Ponte  di,  139. 
Children,  martyrdom  of,  in  fourth  Cru- 
sade, 26. 
Cholera  at  Ventimiglia,  99. 
Chrvsostom,  quotation  from 
Churches:  Annun.  J,  180. 

Byzantine,  at  Ravenna,  51. 

Consolate,  130. 

Madonna  della  Costa,  97. 

Our  Lady  of  Castello.  12S. 

S.  Anibrogio,  125.  166. 

S.  Andrew,  137,  139. 

S.  Antonio.  128. 

S.  Bartholomew,  182,  184. 

S.  Brigida.  142. 

S.  Catherine,  129,  137. 

S.  Domenico,  210- 

S.  Dominick,  137.  139. 

S.  Francis,  137,  139. 


B.  John  the  Baptist,  115. 
B.  i    •. 

B.  i 

8.  v 

B.  U 

B.  Paul, 

s.  r 

215. 
IS 
B.  -  polcro,  36. 

.'06,  209,  211, 
225. 

phen,  128 
S.  Tl. 

Cicero's  De  Republica,  45. 
Cimiez.  91. 
Clausonne,  91. 

to,  36,  02. 

Col  di  Tenda,  40. 

Colomba,  122. 

Colombo,  Domenico,  249. 

Colombo,  Giacomo.  348,  249. 

Colonna,  Vittoria,  wife  of  Marquis  of 
Pexaro,  276. 

Columbus,  Christopher,  age  at  which  he 
became  a  sailor.  200 ;  ancestor-  of,  124 : 
appeals  of,  to  Genoa  for  aid,  253; 
birthplace  of,  92,  253;  characteristics 
of,  254 ;  confidence  of,  in  Bank  of  St. 
George,  253;  cradle  of,  21,  36;  death 
of,  36;  education  of,  250,  268:  four 
hundredth  anniversary  of  discovery  of 
America  by,  31 ;  handwriting  of.  250  j 
in  service  of  Duke  John,  269 :  infiu- 


INDEX. 


291 


ence  of  Bernard  of  Clairvaux  on,  251 ; 
knowledge  of,  of  mines  of  Veragua, 
252 ;  last  testament  of,  251 ;  letter  of, 
from  Seville,  253 ;  natural  endowment 
of,  250;  offspring  of  Genoa,  248;  pa- 
rents of,  36,  144;  policy  of  Ferdinand 
of  Aragon  toward,  254  :  portrait  of,  36, 
254;  religious  temperament  of,  251; 
songs  of  Greek  gods  to,  2'j2-2i;4 ; 
statue  of,  29,  31,  37,  39,  67 ;  sugges- 
tion of  a  nut  to,  23;  streets  of  Genoa 
teeming  with  facts  for,  250 :  superior 
judgment  of,  252;  t}-pe  of  now  civili- 
zation, 76;  voice  of  Mediterranean  to, 
256,  260. 

Comet  over  the  Mediterranean,  247, 248, 
255,  269. 

Commerce  <>f  Italian  cities,  233-239. 

Compass,  invention  of  the,  176. 

Condat,  42. 

Conrad,  Emperor,  161. 

Constance,  Empress,  186. 

Consuls,  rule  of,  130,  131. 

<  i  mvents,  suppression  of,  58,  100. 

Copyists,  fate  of  the  old,  113. 

Coral  fisheries,  178-180. 

Corbinieu,  46. 

Cornaro,  Catherine,  275. 

Corsica,  193. 

Cortona,  140. 

Cremona,  133,  136. 

Cross,  fragment  of  the  true,  157, 158, 162. 

Cumash-Boga,  Emir,  218. 

Curius,  117. 

Cuypcrs,  Maria,  mother  of  Van  Dyck, 
277. 

Daffodil,  emblem  of  Genoa,  56. 

Dandolo,  Andrea,  201-203. 

Dandolo,  Tullio,  76. 

Dante,  73-79, 134, 162, 181, 190, 198,  274. 

Death  ship,  245,  246. 

Delia  Volta  family,  145. 

Dialect  of  Genoa,  138. 

Diano,  Pian  di,  81. 

Donati,  74. 

Doria  family,  142,  143,  207-20",   215; 

tomb  of,  26. 
Doria,  Andrea,  26,  27,  35,  142,  143. 


Doria,  Ansaldo,  135. 

Doria,  Antonio,  209. 

Doria,  Brancaleone,  143. 

Doria,  Edoardo,  210. 

Doria,  Galeotto,  143. 

Doria,  Giovanni,  179,  267. 

Doria,  Lamba,  201,  202. 

Doria,  Martino,  142. 

Doria,  Pietro,  24,  35,  202. 

Doria,  Tedisio,  268. 

Dragut,  179. 

Drudo  Marcellino,  132. 

Ducal  Palace,  bell  of  tower  of,  31,  34-37. 

Duomo,  the,  25. 

Earthquake,  82. 

East,  foretaste  of  luxury  in  spices  of,  25. 
Easter  Day  at  Genoa,  153,  154,  159. 
Egypt,  treaty  of  Genoa  with,  24. 
Elba,  l'.)2,  194. 
Elius,  consul.  117. 
Embriaco,  273,  274. 
Etruscans,  110. 
Eugenius  IV.,  Pope,  237. 

Fables  of  origin  of  Genoa,  109-111. 

Fabricins,  117. 

Falco  di  Castello,  101. 

Famagosta,  275. 

Fassuoli,  gardens  of,  27. 

February,  delineation  of,  by  the  Ro- 
mans, 141. 

Feggino,  43. 

Festival,  birthday,  22-28 ;  of  Our  Lady 
of  the  Dunes,  181 ;  of  St.  Anthony, 
109,  113;  Piedigrotta,  49. 

Ficino,  Marsilio,  276. 

Fieschi  family,  64,  127,  142,  207-209. 

Fieschi,  Giovanni,  225. 

Fieschi,  Luigi,  179. 

Fieschi,  Sinibaldo  de,  187. 

Fiesole,  disputant  for  honors  of  Mount 
Ararat,  109. 

Fisheries,  cod,  181;  coral,  179;  tunny, 
259,  260. 

Fishermen,  3. 

Florence,  69 ;  decree  of  rulers  of,  217. 

Florin,  the  gold,  176. 


■»u 


index 


Fontai  -     ina,  mother  of  Colum- 

bus, 249, 

i  ■         [lo,  iin    126 

Fra  l  ilippo  Bru    'i io,  272. 

flower  "i  the  arm-  of,  it>'. 

I'  ram  es<  a,  1 1-13. 

Francesco  Vivaldi 

Frederic  II.,  born  in  Italy,  1194,  L86; 
chara  >t  i  ;s-r>-.    <  reator    of 

Btrife  between  Guelpha  and  Ghibel- 
lines,  206;  crowned  Emperor  ol  Ger- 
many, 188  :  1 1  usade  alem, 
187;  death  of,  190;  educational  ad- 
vantages 

i\    and  M. 
186*,  under  guardianship  i 

.  Antoniotti 

ti-i.i,  funeral  hon 
l»  imenii  • 
.,  Pietro,  267' 
i,  l  ommaso  di,  214   - 

tn   I  nun  : 

Kriuli.  90. 

Fucine,  the,  24. 

Fulcone  di  Castillo,  palace  ol. 

t;  vi.  Obi  rto,  267. 

Galata,  treaty  of,  177. 

Galiani,  Ferdinando,  39. 

Galla  Placida,  Empress,  157. 

Galley  of  year  937 

Gallinaria,  island  of,  93. 

Garden.-  of  Fassuoli,  27;  the  Pallavi- 

cini.  3-19,  82,  288. 
Garibaldi,  tinal  residence  of,  193. 
Gates:  ancient,  of  Genoa,  128. 

city,  guard  of,  -2:13-239. 

dell'  Arco  degli  Archi.  127. 

of  Acquasola,  129. 

of  the  Arches,  50. 

Porta  San  Andrea,  24,  249,  253. 

Porte  di  Yacca,  126. 
Gelasius  II.,  Pope,  155. 
Genoa:   age  of,  124;    burning  of,  111; 
civic  pageants  of,   215,  216 ;    dialect 
of,  138;  early  existence  of,  110;  ful- 
filment of  destiny  of,  248 ;  in  Italian 


politics,  188;  liti  ratnre  in,  27^. 
mayon  of,  131,  l  ■--.  mode  "i  I 
through,  127  .-  old  wall  of,  137, 

nam.     of,    109    111]     I    ■ 

of,   136,   127.   pariahei  of,   127  130; 
plague  imported  to  Europi 

.    growth  of,  l  in, 

Ml ;  religion  ol  thorough- 

fart 

■  i,  the,  1 15,  160. 
■ 
German 

■ 

I 

oi  Battista  de  Fornari 
(jmri,  della  I 

1 1 

v  IX.,  187,  189. 
Grillo,  Jacopo,  273,  J74. 
Grimaldi  family,  101.  IS  -209. 

Grimaldi,  Ansaldo,  probl 
Grimaldo,  Antonio  di,  - 
.  135. 
Gum,  traffic  in,  246. 

H  A  I  I  ! .  1  I  .  II 12 . 

Ilallam.  quotation  from,  151. 

Hannibal,  45,  111 

Heirloom,  an,  173-177. 

Henry   VII..    German    Emperor. 

visit  of,  to  Genoa.  215. 
Herring,  curing  of,  182. 
Holy  Land,  expeditions  to,  151. 153 

recovery  of.  from  the  Infidel,  131. 
Holy  Sepulchre,  the,  159,  163;  account 

of  the  miracle  of  the,  163-165. 
Holy  week.  77.  163. 
Honore  III.,  101. 
Hospitals;  Calegari,  128. 
Leper- 
San  Stefan. ,    _ 

Idyl,  an,  141-146. 


INDEX. 


293 


Imperial  Crown,  flower  of  the,  122,  123, 

140. 
Ingulphe,  153. 
Inn-keeper,    the,  of  the  Black   Eagle, 

16-18. 
Innocent  III.,  Pope,  186,  188. 
Innocent  IV..  Pope,  41,  187-191. 
Inquisition,  the,  41. 

Inscription,  curious  chimney-piece,  101. 
Isle  de  Lerins,  41,  101. 
Isles  of  Hyeres,  Golden,  102. 
Italians,  the  longing  of,  255. 
Italy,  rich  raiment  of  women  of,  217. 

Jacopo  da  Varagine,  Archbishop,  111. 

Janus,  109. 

Jest,  Tuscan,  196. 

Jewels,  superstitions  regarding,  173,  174. 

John,  King,  quotation  from,  275. 

John  II.,  King,  personal  attire  of,  240. 

Kakr,  Alphdxse,  86. 
Knights  Hospitallers,  26. 

Ladies,  extravagance  of  French,  236. 

Lamberto,  Cibo,  193. 

Lamp,  a  church,  153-165. 

Lamps  first  used,  255. 

Langasco,  115. 

Lars  Porsenna,  116. 

La  Trebia,  43,  45. 

Laurence,  112. 

Lavagna,  64-,  slate  of,  56,  126. 

Leghorn,  65. 

Legnano, 139. 

Lercari,  Damiano,  271. 

Libitina,  goddess,  117. 

Lighthouse  of  Genoa,  248,  255. 

Liguria.  40,  111,  124. 

Ligurians,  89,  90,  110. 

Literature  in  Genoa,  272,  273. 

Lodi,  133. 

Loggia  de'  Banchi,  230. 

Lombard  towns,  League  of,  139. 

Lombardy,     warfare   between  cities  of. 

133,  Peace  of  Constance  with,  139. 
Lomellini,  the,  25,  178-181. 
Lomellini,  Battista.  179. 
Lomellini,  Lionel,  179. 


Longfellow,  quotation  from,  138. 

Lorenzo,  151. 

Lorenzo,  porter  of  the  villa  at  Pegli,  3, 
13,  19. 

Lorenzo  the  Magnificent,  64. 

Loti,  Pierre,  166, 168. 

Louis  VII.  of  France,  161. 

Louis  XII.  of  France,  26. 

Louis  XIV.,  36. 

Lucca,  65,  76. 

Luna,  65. 

Lupicin,  42. 

Lusignano,  Giano,  275. 

Lusignano,  Jacopo,  reception  of,  at  Ge- 
noa, 215. 

Lusignano,  Oddo,  banquet  in  honor  of, 
216. 

Lusignano,  Ugo,  275. 

Macaguana,  123.. 

Madonna,  frequent  invocation  of,  at  Ge- 
noa, 251. 

Magon,  111. 

Mai,  Cardinal,  45. 

Magrone,  Andrea,  274. 

Malapaga,  prison  of  the,  128. 

Malaspina,  Isolta,  143. 

Man  with  the  Iron  Mask,  102. 

Mandolin,  the,  85,  88,  102. 

Manigoldo  del  Tetocio,  131. 

Maps  designed  by  Genoese,  267. 

Marble  quarries  of  Carrara,  66,  270. 

Marco  Polo,  107,  224;  lance  of,  200; 
portrait  of,  36, 201 ;  prisoner  at  Genoa, 
203-205,  250,256. 

Maremma,  the,  65,  69,  185, 191,  206,  244. 

Margaret  of  England,  wedding  proces- 
sion of,  219. 

Maria,  story  of,  14-18. 

Marietta  the  fish-wife,  4,  12. 

Mariola,  Madonna,  127. 

Market,  Genoa,  5,  46,  48. 

Maso  di  Finiguerra,  112. 

Massa,  65. 

May,  month  of,  in  Genoa,  8. 

Mayors  of  Genoa,  131,  132. 

Measures,  Italian.  See  Weights  and 
Measures. 

Medici,  Cosimo  de',  276. 


294 


INDEX. 


Mediterranean,  changing  aspectst>f,  243- 

245;  comet  over,  247,   248,255,269; 

Queen  of  the,  I,  127;  roseBof  the,  86; 

souvenir  of,  105;  bu     ets  on,  243. 

Meloria,  196,202,  203. 

Mentone,  81,  91,  99,   100;   strength  of 

girls  of]  1  I. 
Merchant,  family  of  a  Boston,  241,  242 
Meyer,  Monsieur  and  Madame,  83,  84, 

80. 
Michelangelo,  66. 
Milan,  133,  134,  136. 
Miltiades,  134. 

Missionary  movement,  42,  50. 
Modena,  111;  deep  e  of  rulers  of,  217. 
Mole,  the,  124,  127,  157,  158,  255,  261, 

270. 
Monaco,  princes  of,  101,  187. 
Monasteries:  ancient,  ol  Liguria,  40. 
Bobbio,  43-40,  63. 
Cervara.  27. 
Donne  Osservanti,  128. 
l'rati  Minori,  128. 

Frati  Osservanti  of  S.  Agostino,  127. 
Luxeuil,  43,  44. 
Madonna  di  Grazia,  128. 
Margaret  of  the  Rock,  128. 
Palmaria,  40. 
Pantacratore,  24. 
S-  Benedict,  129. 
S-  Francesco,  237. 
S.  Gall,  44. 
S.  Silvestro,  128. 
Money-bags  of  the  ancient  broker,  231. 
Monferrato,  Marquis  of,  149,  150. 
Monks,    legends    counected    with,   46; 
valiant  labors  of,  41 ;  zeal  of  English 
and  Irish,  42. 
Montagnac,  Countess  Mohant  de,  84. 
Montaldo,  Leonardo,  224,  225. 
Mont  Cenis,  tunnel,  23. 
Monte  Carlo,  81,  101. 
Monte  Cristo,  island  of,  192. 
Montignoso,  66. 
Municipal  Palace,  125. 
Muratori,  112. 

Napoleon  I.,  theft  of,  93. 
Napoule,  91, 


Narbonne,  Count  of,  161. 
Navigation,  development  of,  265-267. 

u,  Marchese,  1^7. 
Nelson,  Lord,  193. 
Nervi,  49,  64. 
Neuhof,  Theodore,  279. 
Newfoundland,  effeel  ol  fisheries  of,  on 

mediterranean  trade,  181. 
Niccolo  di  Contl,  203. 

i      276. 
Niebuhr,  Koine  likened  to  the  sea  by, 

116. 
Noli,  81,  93,  133,  273. 

October,  representation  of,  by  the  Ro- 
mans, 147. 

Ombrici,  the,  67. 

Oria family,  filial  love  of  sons  of,  148; 
record  of,  in  Church  of  San  Matteo, 
144. 

( >na,  wife  of  Narbonne,  144-146,  161. 

Osques,  110. 

Padua,  111. 

Pagan  observance,  reminiscence  of, 
261. 

Pagan'mi.  Niccolo.  284-286. 

Palace  of  Genoa,  traditional  renown  of, 
22. 

Palazzo  dei  Principi  Doria,  32. 

Palazzo  del  Municipio,  121. 

Paleologus,  Emanuel,  216. 

Pallavicini  Gardens,  3-19,  82.  288. 

Pandolfini,  Agnolo,  148. 

Paternal  authority,  mistakes  of,  278. 

Patriotism  of  the  Genoese,  24. 

Paul  III.,  Pope,  143. 

Pavia,  133. 

Pavians  beaten  by  Milan,  134. 

Pegli,  sad  story  connected  with.  9-11; 
the  tortoise  and  his  wife  at,  8;  villa 
at,  2-19,  82,  88,  102,  122.  140,  147, 151, 
287. 

Pen-pictures:  a  maniac,  94;  Adelina, 
166,  167;  American  captain,  31,  33; 
an  October  day,  30;  Bernardo  and 
Francesca,  13;  company  of  Francis- 
cans, 25;  Contadini,  32;  deserted 
chapel,  47;  farmhouse,  54;  fishermen 


INDEX. 


295 


drawing  their  nets,  3 ;  fish-venders,  3 ; 
Franciscan  monk,  40,  47,  62;  gather- 
ing storm,  59;  Genoa  by  moonlight, 
21,  23,  25;  Giacomo  and  Marietta,  4; 
Giotto  of  the  Littoral,  92 ;  Godfrey  de 
Bouillon,  160,  161;  idiot  nurse,  96; 
inn-keeper  of  the  Black  Eagle,  16; 
Italian  engineer,  170;  lapsing  waves 
and  flitting  sail,  3;  mad  steer,  96; 
maidens  prepared  for  their  first  com- 
munion, 8;  Maria,  14;  Mario  Savelli, 
15;  market-day,  95;  market-places,  5; 
mendicant  band,  59;  modern  daugh- 
ters of  Genoa,  212;  musician,  31,  34; 
old  watch-tower,  70,  71;  olive-grove, 
72;  pastoral  scene,  238;  peasant,  32; 
Peter  the  Hermit,  159,  160;  phantoms 
seen  around  the  Baptist's  shrine,  158; 
Pope  Innocent  IV.,  25;  Russian  boy, 
3,  5,  20;  railway  among  the  hills,  6; 
railway  journey  from  Genoa  to  Rome, 
68-79;  ruined  cloister,  56;  Sacro  Ca- 
tino,  161;  spectral  ship,  245;  statue  of 
Columbus  by  moonlight,  37;  story- 
teller, 98;  summer  evening  along  the 
Mediterranean,  244;  sunshine  after 
shower,  62;  the  grandmother,  18;  vi- 
sion of  Africa,  180;  washerwomen,  5. 

Pescaro,  Marquis  of,  276. 

Pessagno,  Antonio,  267. 

Peter  the  Hermit,  159,  160,  252. 

Petrarch,  81,  274. 

Philip  V.,  French  king,  private  seal  of, 
240. 

Philip  de  Valois,  209. 

Philippe  Augustus,  161. 

Piacenza,  90. 

Pianosa,  192. 

Piazza  Acquaverde,  29,  126. 

Piazza  Banehi,  129,  230. 

Piazza  Campetto,  240,  242. 

Piazza  Cattanei,  128. 

Piazza  Cava,  126. 

Piazza  Embriaci,  128. 

Piazza  Grande  of  Sarzano,  128. 

Piazza  Guarchi,  128. 

Piazza  Lercari,  129. 

Piazza  Lucoli,  129. 

Piazza  Lunga,  123,  128,  216. 


Piazza  Marina,  128. 

Piazza  Marini,  127,  129. 

Piazza  Molo,  126, 128,  130. 

Piazza  Nuova,  129,  166. 

Piazza  Oria,  129. 

Piazza  Pallavicini,  129. 

Piazza  St.  George,  128. 

Piazza  Salvaghi,  128. 

Piazza  San  Donato,  128. 

Piazza  San  Felice,  105. 

Piazza  Sardena,  129. 

Piazza  Sarzana,  128,  137,  213,  215. 

Piccapietra,  24. 

Picture  gallery,  270-280. 

Piedigrotta  festival,  49. 

Pierre  des  Vignes,  188-190. 

Pietro  di  Negrone,  127. 

Pineta,  67. 

Pisa,  65.  67,  69,  136;  decree  of  rulers  of, 

218 ;  rivalry  between  Genoa  and,  133, 

193-198. 
Pisani,  Vettor,  bust  of,  35. 
Pisistratus,  warning  of,  260. 
Pius  II.,  Pope,  273. 
Pius  VII.,  Pope,  93. 
Pius  IX.,  Pope,  29. 
Plague,  cradle  of,  245;  importation  of, 

to  Europe,  245. 
Polcevera,  43,  47,  114,  115,  118, 124, 126, 

147,  148,  190,  210,  224,  276,  285. 
Porto  Maurizio,  96. 
Porto  Venere,  126,  245. 
Printing,  anecdotes  of  early,  112. 
Proverb,  Italian,  97. 
Ptolomeo,  110. 

Rainfall  in  Genoa,  141. 
Rapallo,  64;  riot  at,  207. 
Ravacione,  66. 
Recco,  49. 

Red  Book  of  King  Rene,  149. 
Religion  of  Genoa,  2,  40,  288. 
Revenue,  customs,  233-239. 
Reynolds,  Sir  Joshua,  271,  280. 
Rialto,  Venetian,  129. 
Richard  the  Lion  Hearted,  161. 
Richard  of  England,  161. 
Rimini,  90. 
Rio  Torbido,  126. 


296 


INDEX. 


Riviera,  the,  9,  34,  64,  65,  72,  76,  78,  80, 
81,  82,  84,  86,  89,  91,  99,  261,  262,  271. 
Robert  of  Naples,  150,  207,  208. 
Roger  of  Sicily,  213,  214. 
Rolando  di  Ferrari,  127. 
Romain  of  Lyons,  42. 
Romance  of  the  Rose,  84. 
Romans,  achievements  of,  90. 
Rome,  110-120;  drought  in,  141. 
Rubens,  Peter  Paul,  276,  277,  284. 
Russian  boy,  3,  5,  20,  87. 

Sacro  Catino,  161,  162,  268. 

St.  Agnes,  parish  of,  130. 

St.  Ambrose  of  Milan,  51. 

St.  Ambrose,  parish  of,  129. 

St.  Ambrose,  quotation  from,  193. 

St.  Anthony,  festival  of,  109,  113. 

St.  Augustine,  51. 

St.  Barbara,  62. 

St.  Bernard  of  Clairvaux,  epistle  of,  251. 

St.  Catherine  of  Siena,  healing  of  mal- 
ady by,  252. 

St.  Cecilia,  61. 

St.  Celso,  50. 

St.  Celso,  parish  of,  128. 

St.  Clement,  53. 

St.  Columban,  43-46,  63. 

St.  Coscimo,  parish  of,  128. 

St.  Cyprian,  51,  52. 

St.  Damian,  parish  of,  128. 

St.  Dominick,  Convent  of,  143. 

St.  Elmo,  53. 

St.  Eloy,  celestial  ladder  of,  205. 

St.  Francis,  temple  of,  129. 

St.  Gall,  44,  46. 

St.  George,  Bank  of,  22,  24,  35, 129,  223- 
229,  253,  269. 

St.  George,  legend  of,  223. 

St.  George,  parish  of,  128. 

St.  Honorat,  well  of,  101. 

St.  Efogh,  26. 

St.  Joan  d'Acre,  194. 

St.  John  do  Matha,  53. 

St.  John  of  Jerusalem,  parish  of  com- 
mandery  of,  130. 

St.  John  the  Baptist,  26,  29;  chapel  of, 
115;  relics  of,  208 ;  shrine  of,  L56-165. 

St.  Justina,  61. 


St.  Lawrence,  parish  of,  129. 

St.  Lawrence,  square  of,  124. 

St.  Malo,  47. 

St.  Marcellino,  parish  of,  129. 

St.  Marguerite,  Castle  of,  102. 

St.  Mark,  parish  of,  128. 

St.  Matthew,  parish  of,  129. 

St.  Michael,  parish  of,  130. 

St.  Nazaro,  50. 

St.  Nazaro,  parish  of,  128. 

St.  Nicholas,  52. 

St.  Pancras,  parish  of,  129. 

St.  Peter,  45. 

St.  Peter  of  Alcantara,  54. 

St.  Pierre,  Bernardin  de,  quotation  from, 

257. 
St.  Porcaire,  101. 
St.  Raymond  de  Peiiaforte,  54. 
St.  Rufina,  61. 
St.  Sabina,  parish  of,  129. 
St.  Stephen,  parish  of,  127. 
Salt,  taxes  on,  238;  trade  in,  238,  239. 
Salvino  degli  Armati,  182. 
San  Andrea  di  Sestn,  40. 
San  Andrea,  parish  of,  128. 
San  Donato,  parish  of,  128. 
San  Fede,  parish  of,  130. 
San  Giacomo  di  Carignano,  127. 
San  Giacomo  della  Marina,  128. 
San  Martino  a  Lantosca,  41. 
San  Piero  de'  Banchi,  parish  of,  129. 
San  Pietro,  island  of,  179. 
San  Remo,  97,  132;  strength  of  girls  of, 

14. 
San  Salvatore,  parish  of,  128. 
Sanseverino,  Leonora  di,  213. 
San  Silvestro,  parish  of,  128. 
San  Siro,  parish  of,  129. 
San  Sisto,  parish  of,  130. 
San  Tomo,  parish  of,  130. 
San  Torpe,  parish  of,  128. 
San  Vito,  parish  of,  130. 
Santa  Croce,  oratory  of  the  Disciplinanti 

of,  128. 
Santa  Croce,  parish  of,  128. 
Santa  Margarita,  64. 
Santa  Maria,  fortress  of,  210. 
Santa  Maria  delle  Vigno,  parish  of.  129. 
Santa  Maria  di  Castello,  parish  of,  128. 


INDEX. 


297 


Sardinia,  19.1,  194. 

Sarzana,  64,  75,  125,  139. 

Savelli,  -Mario,  15-18. 

Savona,  81,  93,  207,  208,  210,  225,  273. 

Savonarola,  134. 

Scriptures,    first    translation    of,     into 

Latin,  112. 
Scrivia,  Val  di,  215. 
Sea  City,  59,  91,  109,  123,  137,  146,  151, 

156,  161,  178,  187,  206,  208,  214,  220, 

235,  240,  252-254,  273,  274,  279,  288. 
Servius  Tullius,  117. 
Shark  tribe,  258,  259. 
Shelley,  79. 

Sicily  and  Genoa,  contract  between,  135. 
Sicilians,  110. 
Siena,  140. 
Silk,  age  of,  213,  215;  secret  of,  brought 

to  Italy,  214;  weaving  of,  240. 
Silverius,  Pope,  40. 
Sismondi,  Admiral  Ginicello,  194. 
Soldiery,  strength  of  Ligurian,  24. 
Spectacles,  invention  of,  182. 
Spezia,  69,  81. 
Spezia,  Gulf  of,  65,154. 
Spices,  fables  associated  with,  171. 
Spina,  Alessandro,  182. 
Spinola  family,  129,  142,  148,  149,  207- 

209,  215. 
Spinola,  Bclo,  147. 
Spinola,  Eleano,  273. 
Spinola,  Etienne,  179. 
Spinola,  Gerardo,  quotation  from,  209. 
Spinola.  GiacoDO,  151. 
Spinola,  Gnglielmo,  151. 
Spinola,  Guido,  147,  148,  150,  152. 
spinola,  Marchese,  277. 
.S|>iimli>,  Niccolb,  194. 
Spinola,  Oberto,  147. 
Spinola,  I  tpizzino,  215. 
Spinola,  Teodora,  143. 
Spurius  Lucretius,  110. 
Statues:  Bacchus  of  Michelangelo,  147, 
151. 
Dioscuri,  263. 
Fates  of  Michelangelo,  97. 
Madonna  dell'  Impruneta,  49. 
Madonna  of  Montenero,  49. 
Time,  237. 


Susiglia,  123. 

Swallow,  the,  an  emblem  on  the  Ri- 
viera, 9. 

Sweden,  Crown  Princess  of,  at  Genoa, 
215. 

TABABCA,  island  of,  178-180. 

Tadd^o  de  Suessa,  188. 

Taggia,  91,  97. 

Tassoni,  Alessandro,  273. 

Taxes  on  fisheries,  salt,  etc.,  117,  238. 

Tegolata,  91. 

Theodoric  the  Goth,  111. 

Theodulphe,  Abbe,  42. 

Theolinde,  Queen,  44. 

Thierry,  King,  44. 

Thomas  of  Sarzana,  276. 

Tiger  lily,  122,  123,  133,  140. 

Titus  Livius,  110. 

Tomatoes,  mode  of  preserving,  49. 

Tortona,  133. 

Tortosa,  expenses  of  siege  of,  236. 

Turbia,  90. 

Tyrrhenian  Sea,  67. 

Tyrrhenians,  110. 

Ugocionk  di  Fasciola,  215. 
Ugolino  Buzzaclu'rino,  189. 
Ugolino,  Count,  194,  190-198. 
Cumbrians,  110. 
Urban  V.,  Pope,  215. 
Urban  VL,  155. 
Usodimare,  Gregorio,  267. 
Usodimare,  Niccolo,  267. 

Vai.lauris,  91. 

Van  Dyck,  Anton,  277,  278,  284. 

Vatican  Library,  276. 

Velvet,  Genoa.  240  242. 

Vence,  91, 102. 

Venice,  gift  of,  to  Genoa,  36;  rivalry 
between  Genoa  and,  21,  23,  133,  201, 
202;  union  of,  with  Italy,  35. 

Ventimiglia,  81,  91,  99,  111.  133. 

Veragua,  mines  of,  252. 

Verdi,  winter  abode  of,  32. 

Via  Balbi,  126. 

Via  degli  Orefici,  199. 

Via  Emilia,  90,  115. 


298 


INDEX. 


Via  Nuova,  126. 
Via  Postumia,  90. 

Viareggio,  79. 
Via  Regia,  126. 
Victor  Emanuel,  36. 
Victor  IV.,  Pope,  139. 
Vienna,  Dauphin  of,  entertained  at  Ge- 
noa, 215. 
Yillc  Tranche,  102. 
Virgil,  quotation  from,  94. 
Virginius,  116. 
Visconti  family,  267. 
Visconti,  Ennio  Quirino,  267. 
Visconti,  Giovanni  Battista,  267. 
Visconti,  Marco,  208. 
Visconti,  Matteo,  207. 
Visconti,  Pietro,  267. 
Vitry,  Jacques  de,  quotation  from,  130. 
Viturii,  the,  115,  150. 
Vivaldi  brothers,  268. 
Voltaggio,  115,  209,  210,  273. 


Volterra,  140. 
Voltri,  91. 
Vosges,  the,  43,  46. 

Wall,  the  new,  of  Genoa,  139;  the  old, 
of  Genoa,  137. 

War,  model  of  machines  of,  200. 

Washerwomen,  5. 

Watch-tower,  an  old,  64-79. 

Waves,  lapsing,  3;  whispers  of  the,  27. 
Eits  and  measures,  Italian, 

William  of  Sicily,  135. 

Wine-making  in  the  fifteenth  century, 
19. 

Winter  at  Genoa,  270. 

Wolf,  the,  a  classical  animal,  47;  wor- 
ship of,  116. 

Wool  combing,  industry  of,  249. 

Zaccaria,  the,  162. 
Zacchari,  Benedetto,  196. 


MAY  &  "(  1980 

DATE  DUE 

CAYLONO 

PMINTCO  IN  U.S.A. 

DG634 

J7 

Johnson,  Virginia 

Wa 

les , 

1849- 

-1916. 

Genoa 

the  superb, 

UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA        001  389  882        o 


3  1210  00325  6599 


